I'm too young to remember it, but in Poland there was very popular "key
to media" solution called SeeCheck from Redifon (UK company, famous for
flight simulators). It was multi-site solution. Other names were Entrex
480 or DATENSAMMELSYSTEM 620 (Nixdorf branded). Also some polish MERA
was a clone of it, AFAIK.
It was key to tape. 9-trk reel.
However comparison 3540 to card reader clarify most of my doubts. Still
have no idea about file system or other data organization ot he
diskette, but this is minor issue. What I'm sure it wasn't very small
MVS volume.
BTW: Polish computer ODRA (ICL 1900 clone) have been used for years and
last installations were using emulated card readers - it was regular PC
connected using parallel port and simple PC-DOS program was there to
read txt file and send it as records to the host.
Or maybe it was paper tape reader emulation...
--
Radoslaw Skorupka
Lodz, Poland
W dniu 14.05.2020 o 15:48, Bodra - Pessoal pisze:
Before launch IBM 3540 Diskette Unit (could write and read floppy 8 pol disks
and connected to a /370 parallel channel) after recording diskettes using IBM
3741 (single operator station) or IBM 3742 (double operator station) was
necessary to move data from them to a tape reel using IBM 3747 Converter Unit.
Since diskettes and tape reel could be used a lot of times, this solution
brings to customers a great economy. I remember to walk in an aisle aside a
Data Entry room with more them 150 IBM 3742 stations in a big bank here in
Brazil, they were one of pioneers to remove old IBM 0029, IBM 0059 and IBM 0129
machines from data entry process.
IBM 3540 arises to eliminated one step (convert to tape reel) and could
accelerate process to make data transcript from a bunch of different forms in
data to supply information to data systems. Old good time of batch processing
overnight.
Carlos Bodra
IBM zEnterprise Certified
São Paulo – SP – Brazil
-----Mensagem original-----
De: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> Em nome de Tony
Thigpen
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 13 de maio de 2020 23:38
Para: [email protected]
Assunto: Re: An older device query - still using??
The 3540 was the reader/punch that was to replace the card reader/punch
system. Which it did at both my college (while I was there) and at my
first job (where it replaced the 96 column card system) just before I
got there.
The 3740 and 3742 were the replacement for the card punch machine. They
were highly programmable. You could set up programs where some
characters "punched" as packed decimal and other characters were punched
as display characters. It would also sum-check fields in a single record
and automatically punch final "sums records".
The 3540 had a AWSOMA: Optical Media AttachTOC that contained a VOL1
record and multiple HDR1 records which supported multiple files. It had
tracks and records. I am fuzzy, but I think it supported different
record lengths (set in the HDR1 for each file). I know you could punch
both 80 and 96 (in separate files).
The VTOC design was also used in the Optical Media Attach Feature, which
was actually 'emulated' on the P360/P390 in the AWSOMA dirver.
(All "facts" subject to dropped memory bits due to old age.)
Tony Thigpen
R.S. wrote on 5/13/20 6:59 PM:
I just checked bitsavers and found some information about 3540
1. Capacity - it depends. There were several types and subtypes, and
sub-subtypes of diskettes. Approximately 256kB to 1,2 MB, however 3540
used only those low capacity. (details available on request)
2. Feeding media - automatically, not manually.
3. There were two types of 3540, single and double drive.
4. The purpose was to deliver data from keypunch (wrong!) data entry
stations. At the times before CRT screens became popular.
However still I have no idea about system support. How to write data on
diskette, how to read from diskette, how to recognize volume ID, etc.
No, I'm not going to use it, but I'm just curious.
======================================================================
Jeśli nie jesteś adresatem tej wiadomości:
- powiadom nas o tym w mailu zwrotnym (dziękujemy!),
- usuń trwale tę wiadomość (i wszystkie kopie, które wydrukowałeś lub zapisałeś
na dysku).
Wiadomość ta może zawierać chronione prawem informacje, które może wykorzystać
tylko adresat.Przypominamy, że każdy, kto rozpowszechnia (kopiuje, rozprowadza)
tę wiadomość lub podejmuje podobne działania, narusza prawo i może podlegać
karze.
mBank S.A. z siedzibą w Warszawie, ul. Senatorska 18, 00-950
Warszawa,www.mBank.pl, e-mail: [email protected]. Sąd Rejonowy dla m. st.
Warszawy XII Wydział Gospodarczy Krajowego Rejestru Sądowego, KRS 0000025237,
NIP: 526-021-50-88. Kapitał zakładowy (opłacony w całości) według stanu na
01.01.2020 r. wynosi 169.401.468 złotych.
If you are not the addressee of this message:
- let us know by replying to this e-mail (thank you!),
- delete this message permanently (including all the copies which you have
printed out or saved).
This message may contain legally protected information, which may be used
exclusively by the addressee.Please be reminded that anyone who disseminates
(copies, distributes) this message or takes any similar action, violates the
law and may be penalised.
mBank S.A. with its registered office in Warsaw, ul. Senatorska 18, 00-950
Warszawa,www.mBank.pl, e-mail: [email protected]. District Court for the Capital
City of Warsaw, 12th Commercial Division of the National Court Register, KRS
0000025237, NIP: 526-021-50-88. Fully paid-up share capital amounting to PLN
169.401.468 as at 1 January 2020.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
