History (1998): StorageTek 9840 Tape System
For mainframe use
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on November 15, 2018 at 2:23 pmThis article was published by the Museum of Obsolete Media.
StorageTek 9840 (1998-2009)
The StorageTek 9840 was a magnetic tape system for data backup, primarily for mainframe use.
The series was first introduced in 1998 with the T9840A, which had an uncompressed capacity of 20GB. The final incarnation was the T9840D which had a capacity of 75GB.
The StorageTek 9840 was unusual compared to its competitors such LTO and Super DLT, and to other StorageTek formats such the T10000, as the cartridges contained two reels, reducing the amount of tape that was stored in the cartridge but making loading of the tape very fast. Like many other backup tape cartridges, it used serpentine recording and half-inch tape.
The T9840B doubled the data transfer rate of the T9840A model, making it the fastest tape drive at the time, though it was considered expensive compared to rivals, especially as its capacity was lower.
The final 9840 drives were shipped in 2009.
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