Someone wrote: > I have an obvious question on the 3490E though. > You say there is a set of tracks "going AND coming". > Since actual tape length isn't a specification, > just a minimum is, how would a hardware duplication > device handle a 3490E?
> In theory it wouldn't be able to, would it? If one wanted to build a hardware device that could copy a tape, it would probably be possible to write all the tracks at once. As an example, analog cassette tapes can be duplicated in one pass writing both directions at the same time. I don't know the specific encoding for the 3490E, but most likely it is possible. Otherwise, one might copy one side from the beginning as far as it went, skip to the physical EOT, then start writing the other side from the end. Even easier might be for the tape duplicator to find tape stock sufficiently longer than others to guarantee that it will fit. -- glen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
