Minor point on tape density codes

[Erich Oetting]

Ken Cummings (kcummings at vnet.ibm.com) wrote:

>* Author's Note: The 3490E uses a parallel-serpentine recording format;
>neither note 1 - Serial, nor note 2 - parallel, seem appropriate.  A new
>note notation, "8", is proposed to indicate the parallel-serpentine
>format.


The 3490E is probably best described as serpintine.  The serpintine model in
SSC (X3T10 997D
section 5.1.2) indicates that track groups are written before reversing the
tape.  A group can
be more than tracks.  Thus the 3490E would be serpintine recording 2 track
groups of 18 tracks.

We should talk about changing the density code table format at the Bedford
working group 
meeting.  Adding a short text description could make the table easier to use.
 
   ... Erich
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