BS ISO/IEC 13923:1996

Section 1 - General
1 Scope
2 Conformance
    2.1 Magnetic tape cartridge
    2.2 Generating system
    2.3 Receiving system
3 Normative References
4 Definitions
    4.1 Absolute Frame number (AFN)
    4.2 a.c. erase
    4.3 Access Point
    4.4 Algorithm
    4.5 Area ID
    4.6 Automatic Track Finding (ATF)
    4.7 Average Signal Amplitude
    4.8 Azimuth
    4.9 Back surface
    4.10 Byte
    4.11 Cartridge
    4.12 Channel Bit
    4.13 Codeword
    4.14 Data Format ID
    4.15 Early Warning Point (EWP)
    4.16 End of Data (EOD)
    4.17 Entity
    4.18 Error Correcting Code (ECC)
    4.19 Flux transition position
    4.20 Flux transition spacing
    4.21 Frame
    4.22 Housekeeping Frame
    4.23 Logical Beginning of Tape (LBOT)
    4.24 Magnetic tape
    4.25 Master Standard Amplitude Calibration Tape
    4.26 Master Standard Reference Tape
    4.27 Optimum Recording Field
    4.28 Partition boundary
    4.29 Physical beginning of Tape (PBOT)
    4.30 Physical end of Tape (PEOT)
    4.31 Physical recording density
    4.32 Pre-recording condition
    4.33 Processing
    4.34 Processed data
    4.35 Processed Record
    4.36 Processed Record Sequence
    4.37 Record
    4.38 Reference Recording Field
    4.39 Reprocessing
    4.40 Secondary Standard Amplitude Calibration Tape
    4.41 Secondary Standard Reference Tape
    4.42 Separator Mark
    4.43 Standard Reference Amplitude
    4.44 Tape Reference Edge
    4.45 Test Recording Current
    4.46 Track
    4.47 Unprocessed data
    4.48 Unprocessed Record
    4.49 Virtual End of Tape (VEOT)
5 Environment and safety
    5.1 Testing environment
    5.2 Operating environment
    5.3 Storage environment
    5.4 Transportation
    5.5 Safety
    5.6 Flammability
Section 2 - Requirements for the case
6 Dimensional and mechanical characteristics of the case
    6.1 General
    6.2 Overall dimensions
    6.3 Loading grip
    6.4 Holding areas
    6.5 Notches of the lid
    6.6 Lid dimensions
    6.7 Optical detection of the beginning and end of tape
    6.8 Bottom side
    6.9 Hubs
    6.10 Attachment of leader and trailer tapes
    6.11 Interface between the hubs and the drive spindles
    6.12 Opening of the lid
    6.13 Release of the hub locking mechanism
    6.14 Label areas
    6.15 Requirement for autoloaders
Section 3 - Requirements for the unrecorded tape
7 Mechanical, physical and dimensional characteristics
    of the tape
    7.1 Materials
    7.2 Tape length
    7.3 Tape width
    7.4 Discontinuities
    7.5 Tape thickness
    7.6 Longitudinal curvature
    7.7 Cupping
    7.8 Coating adhesion
    7.9 Layer-to-layer adhesion
    7.10 Tensile strength
    7.11 Residual elongation
    7.12 Flexural rigidity
    7.13 Electrical resistance of coated surfaces
    7.14 Light transmittance of the tape
    7.15 Media Recognition System (MRS)
8 Magnetic recording characteristics
    8.1 Optimum Recording Field
    8.2 Signal Amplitude
    8.3 Resolution
    8.4 Overwrite
    8.5 Ease of erasure
    8.6 Tape quality
    8.7 Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N) characteristic
Section 4 - Requirements for an interchanged tape
9 Format
    9.1 General
    9.2 Basic Groups
    9.3 Sub-Groups
    9.4 Sub-Data Area
10 Method of recording
    10.1 Physical recording density
    10.2 Long-term average bit cell length
    10.3 Short-term average bit cell length
    10.4 Rate of change
    10.5 Bit shift
    10.6 Read signal amplitude
    10.7 Maximum recorded levels
11 Track geometry
    11.1 Track configuration
    11.2 Averaged track pitch
    11.3 Variations of the track pitch
    11.4 Track width
    11.5 Track angle
    11.6 Track edge linearity
    11.7 Track length
    11.8 Ideal tape centreline
    11.9 Azimuth angles
12 Recording of blocks on the tape
    12.1 Recorded Main Data Block
    12.2 Recorded Sub Data Block
    12.3 Margin Blocks, Preamble Blocks and Postamble Blocks
    12.4 Spacer Blocks
13 Format of a track
    13.1 Track capacity
    13.2 Positioning accuracy
    13.3 Tracking scheme
14 Layout of a Single Data Space tape
    14.1 Device Area
    14.2 Reference Area
    14.3 Position Tolerance Band No.1
    14.4 System Area
    14.5 Data Area
    14.6 EOD Area
    14.7 Post-EOD Area
    14.8 Early-Warning Point - EWP
    14.9 Initialization
15 Layout of partitioned tape
    15.1 Overall magnetic tape layout
    15.2 Area ID
    15.3 System Area Pack Items No.3 and No.4
    15.4 Empty partitions
    15.5 Initialization of partitioned tapes
16 Housekeeping Frames
    16.1 Amble Frames
    16.2 System Log Frames
    16.3 Tape Management Frames
Annexes
A Measurement of the light transmittance of the prisms
B Recognition Holes
C Means to open the lid
D Measurement of light transmittance of tape and leaders
E Measurement of Signal to Noise Ratio
F Method for determining the nominal and the maximum
    allowable recorded levels
G Representation of 8-bit bytes by 10-bit bytes
H Measurement of bit shift
J Recommendations for transportation
K Method of measuring track edge linearity
l Read-After-Write
M Example of the content of a Basic Group No.0

Defines the physical and magnetic characteristics of a 3.81mm magnetic tape cartridge for enabling physical interchangeability of such cartridges between drives. Also defines the quality of recorded signals, recording method and recorded format, facilitating data interchange between drives using magnetic tape cartridges.

This International Standard specifies the physical and magnetic characteristics of a 3,81mm wide magnetic tape cartridge to enable physical interchangeability of such cartridges between drives. It also specifies the quality of the recorded signals, the recording method and the recorded format, thereby allowing data interchange between drives by means of such magnetic tape cartridges.

The recorded format, known as DDS-2, includes all the features of the DDS recorded format specified in ISO/IEC12247 and of the DDS-DC recorded format specified in ISO/IEC11557. The principal difference between this recorded format and those recorded formats is the use of a greater track density by this format.

Information interchange between systems utilising this International Standard also requires the use, as a minimum, of a labelling specification, e.g. ISO1001:1986, Information processing - File structure and labelling of magnetic tapes for information interchange, and an interchange code which shall be agreed upon by the interchange parties.

Under information interchange circumstances in which a processing algorithm is applied to the host data prior to recording on the tape and a complementary reprocessing algorithm is applied after the data is read from the tape, agreement upon the algorithms employed by the interchange parties is also required. It is outside the scope of this International Standard to specify any of these.