Some definitions in this glossary are taken from other glossaries. For these definitions, the source of the definition is indicated by letters in parentheses, following the definition:
(A) The American National Standard Dictionary of Information Systems, ANSI X3.172-1990, copyright 1990 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
(E) The ANSI/Electronic Industries Association (EIA) Standard-440-A, Fiber Optic Terminology.
(I) The Information Technology Vocabulary, developed by Subcommittee 1, Joint Technical Committee 1, of the International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC/JTC1/SC1).
(IBM) The IBM Dictionary of Computing, copyright 1994 by IBM.
(T) Draft international standards committee drafts, and working papers being developed by the ISO/IEC/JTC1/SC1.
address
A character or group of characters that identifies a register, a particular part of storage, or some other data source or destination. (A).
alphanumeric
A character or group of characters that identifies a register, a particular part of storage, or some other data source or destination. (A).
capacity
Total amount of User Data stored on one data cartridge in 8 bit bytes. Synonymous with ”User Capacity” or ”Native Capacity”. This is the capacity that the user sees after the ECC/Format/ERP etc. overhead has been assessed (no compression).
capacity, raw
Total amount of data stored on one data cartridge in 8 bit bytes before any ECC/Format/ERP etc. overhead has been assessed (no compression).
capacity, user
Total amount of data stored on one data cartridge in 8 bit bytes that is sent by the host computer. This is the capacity that the user sees after the ECC/Format/ERP etc. overhead has been assessed (no compression).
cartridge
A storage device that consists of magnetic tape on supply and takeup reels, in a protective housing. (IBM)
cleaning cartridge
A data cartridge that contains special material to clean the tape path in a transport or drive.
compress
To save space by eliminating gaps, empty fields, redundancy, or unnecessary data to shorten the length of records or files. (IBM)
configuration
The manner in which the hardware and software of an information processing system is organized and interconnected. (T)
data cartridge
A container holding magnetic tape that can be processed without separating the tape from the container.
data tape
A data cartridge formatted for use as a regular data tape for the system in which it is used.
data track(s)
The region(s) of recorded tape containing user data formed as discreet longitudinal ”tracks” (similar to railroad tracks).
diagnostics
Pertaining to the detection and isolation of errors in programs and faults in equipment. (IBM)
DPKM
data path key management. The use of the SCSI 4 commands Security Protocol In and Security Protocol Out to implement host-based key management encryption on StorageTek tape drives.
DSE
data security erase. A random binary pattern, over-writing existing data, from the point of an Erase command, to the end-of-tape.
emulation
The use of programming techniques and special machine features to permit a computing system to execute programs written for another system. (IBM)
encryption
The translation of data into a secret code. Encryption is one of the most effective ways to achieve data security. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a special key or password that enables you to decipher it.
erase
To remove data from a data medium, leaving the medium available for recording new data. (I) (A)
error
A discrepancy between a computed, observed, or measured value or condition and the true, specified, or theoretically correct value or condition. (I) (A)
FC
fibre channel. The National Committee for Information Technology Standards standard that defines an ultrahigh-speed, content-independent, multilevel data transmission interface that supports multiple protocols simultaneously. Fibre Channel supports connectivity to millions of devices over copper and/or fiber-optic physical media and provides the best characteristics of both networks and channels over diverse topologies.
fiber optics
The branch of optical technology concerned with the transmission of radiant power through fibers made of transparent materials such as glass, fused silica, and plastic. (E)
fiber-optic cable
A cable made of ultrathin glass or silica fibers which can transmit data using pulses of laser light. Fiber-optic cables have several advantages over copper cables: they have much less signal loss; they allow information to be transmitted at higher speeds and over longer distances; they are not affected by external electrical noise; and they are better for transmissions which require security.
fibre channel
The National Committee for Information Technology Standards standard that defines an ultrahigh-speed, content-independent, multilevel data transmission interface that supports multiple protocols simultaneously. Fibre Channel supports connectivity to millions of devices over copper and/or fiber-optic physical media and provides the best characteristics of both networks and channels over diverse topologies.
FICON
fibre connection. An ESA/390 and zSeries computer peripheral interface. The I/O interface uses ESA/390 and zSeries FICON protocols (FC-FS and FC-SB-2) over a Fibre Channel serial interface that configures units attached to a FICON-supported Fibre Channel communications fabric..
FICON channel
A channel having a Fibre Channel connection (FICON) channel-to-control-unit I/O interface that uses optical cables as a transmission medium.
FSC
Fault Symptom Code. A four-character hexadecimal code generated in response to an error to help isolate failures within the device.
hardware
All or part of the physical components of an information processing system, such as computers or peripheral devices. (T) (A)
hub
A Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop switching device that allows multiple servers and targets, such as storage systems, to connect at a central point. A single hub configuration appears as a single loop.
indicator
A device that provides a visual or other indication of the existence of a defined state. (T)
internet protocol (IP) address
A four-byte value that identifies a device and makes it accessible through a network. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be from 0 to 255. For example, 129.80.145.23 could be an IP address.
IP
internet protocol. A protocol used to route data from its source to its destination in an Internet environment. (IBM)
internet protocol v4 (IPv4) address
A four-byte value that identifies a device and makes it accessible through a network. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be from 0 to 255. For example, 129.80.145.23 could be an IP address.
internet protocol v6 (IPv6) address
The next generation internet protocol. It provides a much larger address space than IPv4. This is based upon the definition of a 128-bit address - IPv4 used a 32-bit address. The IPv6 address format is eight fields of four hexadecimal characters separated by colons (for example, 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:037 0:7334).
library
A robotic system that stores, moves, mounts, and dismounts data cartridges that are used in data read or write operations.
Linear Tape-Open
A set of data format standards created to enable data interchange among tape drive produced by a consortium of manufacturers. With LTO standards, the tape cartridges are interchangeable among tape drive brands.
menu
A list of options displayed to the user by a data processing system, from which the user can select an action to be initiated. (T)
network
An arrangement of nodes and branches that connects data processing devices to one another through software and hardware links to facilitate information interchange.
offline
Neither controlled by, nor communicating with, a computer. (IBM)
For a tape drive, this indicates that the tape drive is communicating, but reading/writing of data cannot be sent.
online
Pertaining to the operation of a functional unit when under the direct control of the computer. (T)
For a tape drive, this indicates that the tape drive is communicating and all data can be sent.
performance
One of two major factors, together with facility, on which the total productivity of a system depends. Performance is largely determined by a combination of throughput, response time, and availability. (IBM)
read/write head
The data sensing and recording unit of a diskette magazine drive or tape drive. (IBM)
switch
In Fibre Channel technology, a device that connects Fibre Channel devices together in a fabric.
system
A combination of functionally interrelated interacting mechanical and electrical elements designed to work as a coherent entity.
T10000 Tape Drive (VOP)
A software application that allows a user to monitor and perform some operations on a tape drive.
tape cartridge
A container holding magnetic tape that can be processed without separating the tape from the container.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A set of communication protocols that support peer-to-peer connectivity functions for both local and wide area networks. (IBM)
Ultrium
An LTO tape format optimized for high capacity and performance with outstanding reliability. The Ultrium tape format uses a single reel cartridge to maximize capacity.
VOLSER
volume serial number. An alphanumeric label that the host software uses to identify a volume. It attaches to the spine of a cartridge and is both human- and machine-readable. It is, usually 6 characters long and is both the paper label stuck on the back edge of the cartridge and in the VOLID label that is recorded, particularly by MVS systems, at the beginning of the media.