Recent experiences and future expectations in data storage technology
For more than 10 years the conventional media for High Energy Physics has been 9 track magnetic tape in various densities. More recently, especially in Europe, the IBM 3480 technology has been adopted while in the United States, especially at Fermilab, 8mm is being used by the largest experiments as a primary recording media and where possible they are using 8mm for the production, analysis and distribution of data summary tapes. VHS and Digital Audio tape have recurrently appeared but seem to serve primarily as back-up storage media. The reasons for what appear to be a radical departure are many. Economics, form factor, and convenience are dominant among the reasons. The traditional data media suppliers seem to have been content to evolve the traditional media at their own pace with only modest enhancements primarily in value engineering'' of extant products. Meanwhile, start-up companies providing small system and workstations sought other media both to reduce the price of their offerings and respond to the real need of lower cost back-up for lower cost systems. This happening in a market context where traditional computer systems vendors were leaving the tape market altogether or shifting to 3480'' technology which has certainly created a climate for reconsideration and change. The newest data storage products, in most cases, are not coming from the technologies developed by the computing industry but by the audio and video industry. Just where these flopticals, opticals, 19 mm tape and the new underlying technologies, such as, digital paper'' may fit in the HEP computing requirement picture will be reviewed. What these technologies do for and to HEP will be discussed along with some suggestions for a methodology for tracking and evaluating extant and emerging technologies.
- Research Organization:
- Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH03000
- OSTI ID:
- 6999055
- Report Number(s):
- FNAL/C-90/70; CONF-9004190-5; ON: DE90011488
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Computing in high energy physics, Santa Fe, NM (USA), 9-13 Apr 1990
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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