Unisys Corp has brought out a range of mainframe-based storage and retrieval products. The 18-track Cartridge Tape Library system, which supports Unisys and IBM MVS mainframes, has from one to 10 self-contained cartridge library units with storage capacity of from 1,942 to 51,520 tapes, and can support up to 15 mainframe hosts, one of which must be a Unisys A Series MCP/AS Mark 3.9, or 1100/2200 Series OS1100 System Base 4 Release 2 mainframe. The other hosts can be any combination of Unisys or IBM MVS/ESA Version 3 systems. Each unit has two cartridge-handling robots, from four to 16 tape transports, and two or four controllers. Access and loading, Unisys claims, takes only 30 seconds. The library system can be configured with dual workstation servers that maintain mirrored cartridge location directories to provide a redundant and automated data storage capability. The new Unity rack-mounted cartridge tape system uses SCSI interface and comes with an optional autoloader. Unisys claims that the system halves the storage and retrieval times of open-reel systems. The M9730 Series is a high-capacity disk system which supports A16, A17, and A19 mainframe computers. These store from 5.68Gb to 22.7Gb. The A Series Intelligent Peripheral Interface enables the connection of up to four M9730 subsystems on one pair of host channels, facilitating the configuration of over 2,000Gb of formatted storage on the A16, A17, or A19, doubling previous system storage capacity. Average access time for the M9730 Series is 19ms. The base model M9730-62 comes with four data storage modules, each with 1.42Gb capacity. The M9730 Series disk controller supports up to 16 field-installable storage modules. The M9730 Power Net interface is a host mechanism for monitoring temperature and power conditions in specified host cabinets. It also provides remote power-up-down and automatic power-loss recovery. The new M9710 Model 84D Disk Subsystem, says Unisys, provides a 100% increase in the storage capacity of the M9710 family, without taking up more space. The base configuration provides 10.9Gb, expandable to 27.2Gb. Options enable up to 12 host connections – 50% more than the existing models in the M9710 Series. The M9710-84D data storage module includes a dedicated, embedded, dual-port controller, providing two SCSI buses to each module – if one fails, data traffic is routed automatically over the second. The M9720 Model 82 is a disk-only subsystem for Unisys 1100/90 and 2200 Series mainframes which provides up to twice the capacity of the existing Unisys M9720-6X. Users can expand storage by 400% in the same cabinet. The modular disk subsystem can house from four to 16 data storage modules – unformatted storage is 32Gb. The Cartridge Library System is available now on 2200 hosts and will be out in the fourth quarter for A series and IBM hosts. Prices range between $561,000 and $1.1m, including host software. The Unity Storage Rack Cartridge ships in October, starting at $45,000 the auto-load feature costs an extra $6,500. The new disk storage systems ship also in October. The M9730 Series disk system models range from $228,000 for 5.7Gb of disk to $547,000 for 22.7Gb. Disk Mirror and Power Net Interface option prices vary by capacity and configuration. The M9710 Model 84D costs between $321,000 for 10.9Gb and $772,000 for 27.2Gb. And the M9720 Model 82 prices range from $218,000 for 6.2Gb to $540,000 for 24.8Gb.
