IBM Tape History - Session 1: Tape Media Part 1
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Interviewed by Tom Gardner on 2015-10-12 in Tucson AZ X7617.2016
© Computer History Museum
This is session one of five sessions held in Tucson, AZ, regarding IBM’s tape storage history. The five sessions are:
1. Tape Media (CHM catalog number: 102737991)
2. Overview of tape products and product management (CHM catalog number: 102737993)
3. 3480 tape drive (CHM catalog number: 102738020)
4. Linear Tape Open (LTO) Consortium (CHM catalog number: 102738022)
5. Recovery of tapes damaged in Challenger disaster (CHM catalog number: 102738024).
IBM’s tape development began in the late 1940s in the Kenyon Mansion, Poughkeepsie, NY, (later IBM’s management training site) and moved to the then new Poughkeepsie lab in 1954. The first production units shipped in 1952. In 1965 production and development moved to Boulder, Colorado, then from Boulder to San Jose, California in 1973 and then back to Boulder in 1977 . Its movement to Tucson, Arizona, was announced that same year and began in 1978.
IBM Tucson was responsible for a number of tape innovations including the 3480 tape drive and cartridge and the consortium that led to the LTO standard. Employment in Tucson peaked in the mid-1980s at more than 5,000. Production was ended at Tucson in the late 1980s. New media product development ended in 1988. New tape drive development ended in the mid-1990s. As of 2016 IBM in Tucson continued to participate in tape standards development as a part of the LTO Consortium as well as managing IBM storage products .
This session on media is primarily focused on the development of the chromium dioxide media first introduced by IBM for the 3480 tape drive; however it includes information on the earlier reel-to-reel tape media as well as the 3850 Mass Storage media.
Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information - www.computerhis...
Visit computerhistory.org/collections/oralhistories/ for more information about the Computer History Museum's Oral History Collection.
Lot number: X7617.2016
Catalog number: 102737991
What the hell did I just stumble on. This is great! I'm going to have to check out this Computer History Museum. (Hated those IBM manuals though....lol.)
A suggestion for future videos. It sounds as if the interviewer is using a handheld mic and the panel members are being picked up with the camera mic. It would be wise to invest in an inexpensive audio mixer at which time the interviewers mic could be muted while the panel members are speaking. In addition, it would be wise to purchase a mic which could be mounted on a desk stand thereby reducing background noise.
I can listen to Rick all day. He's always been great.
About "don't reinvent the wheel", it's true that we shouldn't try to re-invent fundamental concepts when building a product, but we should re-implement what we need instead of gluing 3rd party (mostly broken and built with completely different paradigms) components into each other and introduce alien complexity into our system.
I came to listen to JC talk. Than at 2:06:52 he mentions himself by name. LOL
I loved the initial part where they talked about their lives. When the third guy mentioned delivering "ice" I presume he meant the cold stuff not the powdered stuff. :) :) :)
I still have a couple of razor blade canisters containing several blades used to clean old tapes.
That first guy is a hoot!
I love him. I want to sit next to him in a bar and exchange stories.
Can the host please avoid to make any noises when one of the guests talk? Thanks.
Tom Gardner's breathing, clicks, and god knows what he's doing with that mic stuck to his lips, is way too distracting. After all those videos you still manage to fail at such a basic level. Guess it's going to save me some time: skip the tape series and vote 'em all down.