Tape drive
History
Table:
Year

Manufacturer

Model

Capacity

Advancements

1951

Remington Rand

UNISERVO

224 KB

First computer tape drive, used 1⁄2" nickel-plated phosphor bronze tape

1952

IBM

726

Use of plastic tape (cellulose acetate);

7-track tape that could store every 6-bit byte plus a parity bit

1958

IBM

729

Separate read/write heads providing transparent read-after-write verification.[2] As of January 2009, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California has working IBM 729 tape drives attached to its working IBM 1401 system.[3]

1964

IBM

2400

9-track tape that could store every 8-bit byte plus a parity bit

1970s

IBM

3400

Auto-loading tape reels and drives, avoiding manual tape threading

Group coded recording for error recovery

1972

3M

Quarter Inch Cartridge (QIC-11)

20 MB

Tape cassette (with two reels)

Linear serpentine recording[4]

1974

IBM

3850

Tape cartridge (with single reel)

First tape library with robotic access[5]

1975

(various)

Kansas City standard

Use of standard audio cassettes

1977

Commodore International

Commodore Datasette

1978 KB

Also used standard audio cassettes

1980

Cipher

(F880?)

RAM buffer to mask start-stop delays[6][7]

1984

IBM

3480

200 MB

Internal takeup reel with automatic tape takeup mechanism.

Thin-film magnetoresistive (MR) head[8]

1984

DEC

TK50

94 MB

Digital Linear Tape (DLT) line of products[9]

1986

IBM

3480

400 MB

Hardware data compression (IDRC algorithm[10])

1987

Exabyte/Sony

EXB-8200

2.4 GB

First helical digital tape drive

Elimination of the capstan and pinch-roller system

1993

DEC

Tx87

Tape directory (database with first tapemark nr on each serpentine pass)[11]

1995

IBM

3570

Servo tracks - factory-recorded tracks for precise head positioning (Time Based Servoing or TBS)[12]

Tape on unload rewound to the midpoint—halving access time (requires two-reel cassette)[13]

1996

HP

DDS3

12 GB

Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRML) reading method—no fixed thresholds[14]

1997

IBM

VTS

Virtual tape—disk cache that emulates tape drive[5]

1999

Exabyte

Mammoth-2

60 GB

The small cloth-covered wheel cleaning tape heads

Inactive burnishing heads to prep the tape and deflect any debris or excess lubricant

Section of cleaning material at the beginning of each data tape

2000

Quantum

Super DLT

110 GB

Optical servo precisely positioning the heads[15]

Looking at the provided table and the supplementary paragraphs listed.

Answer the following question: What is the model name whose manufacturer began in 1911 , founded in Endicott , New York ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Remington Rand ( 1927-1955 ) was an early American business machines manufacturer , best known originally as a typewriter manufacturer and in a later incarnation as the manufacturer of the UNIVAC line of mainframe computers . Remington Rand was a diversified conglomerate making other office equipment , electric shavers , etc . The Remington Rand Building at 315 Park Avenue South in New York City is a 20-floor skyscraper completed in 1911 . After 1955 Remington Rand had a long list of mergers that formed Unisys .
The UNISERVO tape drive was the primary I/O device on the UNIVAC I computer . Its place in history is assured as it was the first tape drive for a commercially sold computer . The UNISERVO used metal tape : a 1⁄2-inch-wide ( 13 mm ) thin strip of nickel-plated phosphor bronze ( called Vicalloy ) 1200 feet long . These metal tape reels were very heavy . Data was recorded in eight channels on the tape ( six for the data value , one parity channel for error checking , and one timing channel ) at a density of 128 bits per inch . The tape could be moved at 100 inches per second , giving a nominal transfer rate of 12,800 characters per second . Data were recorded in fixed size blocks of 60 words of 12 characters each . Making allowance for the empty space between tape blocks , the actual transfer rate was around 7,200 characters per second . The UNISERVO supported both forward and backward modes on read or write operation . This offered significant advantages in data sorting and merging applications . The data transfers to/from the UNIVAC I processor were fully buffered in a one block dedicated memory , permitting instruction execution in parallel with tape movement and data transfer . The internal serial data path permitted inserting a tape data block into main memory in one instruction .
Nickel is a chemical element with the symbol Ni and atomic number 28 . It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge . Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile . Pure nickel , powdered to maximize the reactive surface area , shows a significant chemical activity , but larger pieces are slow to react with air under standard conditions because an oxide layer forms on the surface and prevents further corrosion ( passivation ) . Even so , pure native nickel is found in Earth 's crust only in tiny amounts , usually in ultramafic rocks , and in the interiors of larger nickel-iron meteorites that were not exposed to oxygen when outside Earth 's atmosphere . Meteoric nickel is found in combination with iron , a reflection of the origin of those elements as major end products of supernova nucleosynthesis . An iron-nickel mixture is thought to compose Earth 's outer and inner cores . Use of nickel ( as a natural meteoric nickel-iron alloy ) has been traced as far back as 3500 BCE . Nickel was first isolated and classified as a chemical element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt , who initially mistook the ore for a copper mineral , in the cobalt mines of Los , Hälsingland , Sweden . The element 's name comes from a mischievous sprite of German miner mythology , Nickel ( similar to Old Nick ) , who personified the fact that copper-nickel ores resisted refinement into copper . An economically important source of nickel is the iron ore limonite , which often contains 1-2% nickel . Nickel 's other important ore minerals include pentlandite and a mixture of Ni-rich natural silicates known as garnierite .
Phosphor bronze is an alloy of copper with 0.5-11% of tin and 0.01-0.35% phosphorus . The tin increases the corrosion resistance and strength of the alloy . The phosphorus increases the wear resistance and stiffness of the alloy . These alloys are notable for their toughness , strength , low coefficient of friction , and fine grain . The phosphorus reduces the viscosity of the molten alloy , which makes it easier and cleaner to cast and reduces grain boundaries between crystallites . It was originally formulated by the Belgian Georges Montefiore-Levi .
The International Business Machines Corporation ( IBM ) is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Armonk , New York , with operations in over 170 countries . The company began in 1911 , founded in Endicott , New York , as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company ( CTR ) and was renamed International Business Machines in 1924 . IBM is incorporated in New York . IBM produces and sells computer hardware , middleware and software , and provides hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology . IBM is also a major research organization , holding the record for most U.S. patents generated by a business ( as of 2020 [ update ] ) for 27 consecutive years . Inventions by IBM include the automated teller machine ( ATM ) , the floppy disk , the hard disk drive , the magnetic stripe card , the relational database , the SQL programming language , the UPC barcode , and dynamic random-access memory ( DRAM ) . The IBM mainframe , exemplified by the System/360 , was the dominant computing platform during the 1960s and 1970s . IBM has continually shifted business operations by focusing on higher-value , more profitable markets . This includes spinning off printer manufacturer Lexmark in 1991 and the sale of personal computer ( ThinkPad/ThinkCentre ) and x86-based server businesses to Lenovo ( in 2005 and 2014 , respectively ) , and acquiring companies such as PwC Consulting ( 2002 ) , SPSS ( 2009 ) , The Weather Company ( 2016 ) , and Red Hat ( 2019 ) . Also in 2015 , IBM announced that it would go fabless , continuing to design semiconductors , but offloading manufacturing to GlobalFoundries . Nicknamed Big Blue , IBM is one of 30 companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and one of the world 's largest employers , with ( as of 2018 [ update ] ) over 350,000 employees , known as IBMers . At least 70% of IBMers are based outside the United States , and the country with the largest number of IBMers is India .
The IBM 726 was IBM 's first magnetic tape unit . It was a dual magnetic tape reader/recorder developed for use with the IBM 701 and announced on May 21 , 1952 . This model of tape unit was shipped with the IBM 701 from December 20 , 1952 until February 28 , 1955 . Unlike later IBM 7 track drives , the 726 could read backwards as well as forwards . [ citation needed ] The tape had seven parallel tracks , six for data ( called a copy group , not a character ) and one to maintain parity . Tapes were recorded in odd parity , to ensure at least one bit transition per copy group as well as for error checking . The 726 concurrently handled two reels of tape , and there were two 726 units in an IBM 701 system .
Cellulose acetate is the acetate ester of cellulose . It was first prepared in 1865 . Cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography , as a component in some coatings , and as a frame material for eyeglasses ; it is also used as a synthetic fiber in the manufacture of cigarette filters and playing cards . In photographic film , cellulose acetate replaced nitrate film in the 1950s , being far less flammable and cheaper to produce .
IBM 's first magnetic tape data storage devices , introduced in 1952 , use what is now generally known as 7 track tape . The magnetic tape is 1/2 wide and there are six data tracks plus one parity track for a total of seven parallel tracks that span the length of the tape . Data is stored as six-bit characters , with each bit of the character and the additional parity bit stored in a different track . These tape drives were mechanically sophisticated floor-standing drives that used vacuum columns to buffer long U-shaped loops of tape . Between active control of powerful reel motors and vacuum control of these U-shaped tape loops , extremely rapid start and stop of the tape at the tape-to-head interface could be achieved . When active , the two tape reels thus fed tape into or pulled tape out of the vacuum columns , intermittently spinning in rapid , unsynchronized bursts resulting in visually striking action . Stock shots of such vacuum-column tape drives in motion were widely used to represent the computer in films and television .
The IBM 729 Magnetic Tape Unit was IBM 's iconic tape mass storage system from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s . Part of the IBM 7 track family of tape units , it was used on late 700 , most 7000 and many 1400 series computers . Like its predecessor , the IBM 727 and many successors , the 729 used 1/2 inch ( 12.7 mm ) magnetic tape up to 2400 feet ( 730 m ) long wound on reels up to 10½ inch ( 267 mm ) diameter . To allow rapid tape acceleration ( and thus reduced seek/access times ) , long vacuum columns were placed between the tape reels and the read/write heads to absorb sudden increases in tape tension which would otherwise break the tape . Write protection was provided by a removable plastic ring in the back of the tape reel .
The Computer History Museum ( CHM ) is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View , California , US . The museum presents stories and artifacts of the information age and explores the computing revolution and its impact on society .
The IBM 1401 is a variable-wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5 , 1959 . The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series , it was aimed at replacing unit record equipment for processing data stored on punched cards and at providing peripheral services for larger computers . The 1401 is considered to be the Model-T Ford of the computer industry , because it was mass-produced and because of its sales volume . Over 12,000 units were produced and many were leased or resold after they were replaced with newer technology . The 1401 was withdrawn on February 8 , 1971 .
The IBM System/360 , released in 1964 , introduced what is now generally known as 9 track tape . The ½ inch ( 12.7 mm ) wide magnetic tape media and reels are the same size as the earlier IBM 7 track format it replaced , but the new format has eight data tracks and one parity track for a total of nine parallel tracks . Data is stored as 8-bit characters , spanning the full width of the tape ( including the parity bit ) . Various recording methods were employed during its lifetime as tape speed and data density increased , including PE ( phase encoding ) , GCR ( group coded recording ) and NRZI ( non-return-to-zero , inverted , sometimes pronounced nur-zee ) . Tapes came in various sizes up to 3,600 feet ( 1,100 m ) in length . The standard size of a byte was effectively set at eight bits with the S/360 and nine-track tape . For over 30 years the format dominated offline storage and data transfer , but by the end of the 20th century it was obsolete , and the last manufacturer of tapes ceased production in early 2002 , with drive production ending the next year .
In computer science , group coded recording or group code recording ( GCR ) refers to several distinct but related encoding methods for magnetic media . The first , used in 6250 bpi magnetic tape since 1973 , is an error-correcting code combined with a run length limited ( RLL ) encoding scheme , belonging into the group of modulation codes . The others are different mainframe hard disk as well as floppy disk encoding methods used in some microcomputers until the late 1980s . GCR is a modified form of a NRZI code , but necessarily with a higher transition density .
The 3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company , is an American multinational conglomerate corporation operating in the fields of industry , worker safety , health care , and consumer goods . The company produces over 60,000 products under several world-renowned brands , including adhesives , abrasives , laminates , passive fire protection , personal protective equipment , window films , paint protection films , dental and orthodontic products , electrical & electronic connecting and insulating materials , medical products , car-care products , electronic circuits , healthcare software and optical films . It is based in Maplewood , Minnesota , a suburb of St. Paul . 3M made $ 32.8 billion in total sales in 2018 and ranks number 95 in the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue . As of 2018 [ update ] , the company has approximately 93,500 employees , and has operations in more than 70 countries .
Quarter inch cartridge tape ( abbreviated QIC , commonly pronounced quick ) is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972 , with derivatives still in use as of 2016 . QIC comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic that holds two tape reels driven by a single belt in direct contact with the tape . The tape was originally 1⁄4 inch ( 6.35 mm ) wide and anywhere from 300 to 1,500 feet ( 91 to 457 m ) long . Data is written linearly along the length of the tape in one track ( mostly on pre-1980 equipment ) , or written serpentine , one track at a time , the drive reversing direction at the end of the tape , and each track 's data written in the opposite direction to its neighbor . Since its introduction , it has been widely used , and many variations exist . There is a QIC trade association that publishes QIC standards which include interfaces and logical formats . To a very large extent it was the efficiency and openness of this organization which encouraged hardware and software developers to use this type of drive and media .
Magnetic tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording . Modern magnetic tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and cassettes . The device that performs the writing or reading of data is called a tape drive . Autoloaders and tape libraries automate cartridge handling . For example , a common cassette-based format is Linear Tape-Open , which comes in a variety of densities and is manufactured by several companies . Although magnetic tape was initially primarily for data storage , newer uses included system backup , data archive and data exchange .
The IBM 3850 Mass Storage System was an online tape library used to hold large amounts of infrequently accessed data . It was one of the earliest examples of nearline storage .
The Kansas City standard ( KCS ) , or Byte standard , is a way of storing digital data on standard Compact Audio Cassettes at data rates of 300 to 2400 bits per second ( at 300-2400 baud ) that was first defined in 1976 . It originated in a symposium sponsored by Byte magazine in November 1975 in Kansas City , Missouri to develop a standard for storage of digital microcomputer data on inexpensive consumer quality cassettes . One variation on the basic standard was CUTS , which was identical at 300 bit/s , but had an optional 1200 bit/s mode as well . CUTS was the default encoding used by several machine families , including those from Acorn and the MSX . The later added an even higher 2400 bit/s mode that was otherwise similar . CUTS ' 1200 bit/s mode was also the standard used for cross-platform BASICODE distribution . Although the KCS standard existed from the earliest days of the microcomputer revolution , it failed to prevent a proliferation of alternative encodings . Most home computers of the era used their own formats that were incompatible with KCS or each other .
The Compact Cassette or Musicassette ( MC ) , also commonly called the cassette tape or simply tape or cassette , is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback . It was developed by Philips in Hasselt , Belgium , and introduced in September 1963 . Compact Cassettes come in two forms , either already containing content as a prerecorded cassette ( Musicassette ) , or as a fully recordable blank cassette . Both forms are reversible by the user . The compact cassette technology was originally designed for dictation machines , but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel tape recording in most non-professional applications . Its uses ranged from portable audio to home recording to data storage for early microcomputers . The first cassette player ( although mono ) designed for use in car dashboards was introduced in 1968 . Between the early 1970s and continuing through the 1990s , the cassette was one of the two most common formats for prerecorded music , first alongside the LP record and later the compact disc ( CD ) . Compact Cassettes contain two miniature spools , between which the magnetically coated , polyester-type plastic film ( magnetic tape ) is passed and wound . These spools and their attendant parts are held inside a protective plastic shell which is 4 by 2.5 by 0.5 inches ( 10 cm × 6.3 cm × 1.3 cm ) at its largest dimensions . The tape itself was commonly referred to as eighth-inch tape , supposedly 1⁄8 inch ( 3.17 mm ) wide , but it was slightly larger : 0.15 inches ( 3.81 mm ) . Two stereo pairs of tracks ( four total ) or two monaural audio tracks are available on the tape ; one stereo pair or one monophonic track is played or recorded when the tape is moving in one direction and the second ( pair ) when moving in the other direction .
Commodore International ( other names include Commodore International Limited , or more simply Commodore ) was an American home computer and electronics manufacturer founded by Jack Tramiel . Commodore International ( CI ) , along with its subsidiary Commodore Business Machines ( CBM ) , participated in the development of the home-personal computer industry in the 1970s and 1980s . The company developed and marketed the world 's best-selling desktop computer , the Commodore 64 ( 1982 ) , and released its Amiga computer line in July 1985 . With quarterly sales ending 1983 of $ 49 million ( equivalent to $ 106 million in 2018 ) , Commodore was one of the world 's largest personal computer manufacturers .
The Commodore 1530 ( C2N ) Datasette , later also Datassette ( a portmanteau of data and cassette ) , is Commodore 's dedicated magnetic tape data storage device . Using compact cassettes as the storage medium , it provides inexpensive storage to Commodore 's 8-bit home/personal computers , notably the PET , VIC-20 , and C64 . A physically similar model , Commodore 1531 , was made for the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 series computers .
The 3480 tape format is a magnetic tape data storage format developed by IBM . The tape is one-half inch ( 13 mm ) wide and is packaged in a 4 in × 5 in × 1 in ( 102 mm × 127 mm × 25 mm ) cartridge . The cartridge contains a single reel ; the takeup reel is inside the tape drive . Because of their speed , reliability , durability and low media cost , these tapes and tape drives are still in high demand . A hallmark of the genre is transferability . Tapes recorded with one tape drive are generally readable on another drive , even if the tape drives were built by different manufacturers . Tape drives conforming with the IBM 3480 product family specification were manufactured by a variety of vendors from 1984 to 2004 . Core manufacturers included IBM , Fujitsu , M4 Data , Overland Data , StorageTek and Victor Data Systems ( VDS ) . Various models of these tape drives were also marketed under other brands , including DEC , MP Tapes , Philips , Plasmon , Qualstar , Tandem , and Xcerta . IBM designated all versions of 3480 and 3490E tape drives as members of the 3480 Product Family .
Giant magnetoresistance ( GMR ) is a quantum mechanical magnetoresistance effect observed in multilayers composed of alternating ferromagnetic and non-magnetic conductive layers . The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg for the discovery of GMR . The effect is observed as a significant change in the electrical resistance depending on whether the magnetization of adjacent ferromagnetic layers are in a parallel or an antiparallel alignment . The overall resistance is relatively low for parallel alignment and relatively high for antiparallel alignment . The magnetization direction can be controlled , for example , by applying an external magnetic field . The effect is based on the dependence of electron scattering on the spin orientation . The main application of GMR is magnetic field sensors , which are used to read data in hard disk drives , biosensors , microelectromechanical systems ( MEMS ) and other devices . GMR multilayer structures are also used in magnetoresistive random-access memory ( MRAM ) as cells that store one bit of information . In literature , the term giant magnetoresistance is sometimes confused with colossal magnetoresistance of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic semiconductors , which is not related to the multilayer structure .
Digital Equipment Corporation ( DEC /dɛk/ ) , using the trademark Digital , was a major American company in the computer industry from the 1960s to the 1990s . The company was co-founded by Ken Olsen and Harlan Anderson in 1957 . Olsen was president until forced to resign in 1992 , after the company had gone into precipitous decline . DEC was a leading vendor of computer systems , including computers , software , and peripherals . Their PDP and successor VAX products were the most successful of all minicomputers in terms of sales . DEC was acquired in June 1998 by Compaq in what was at that time the largest merger in the history of the computer industry . At the time , Compaq was focused on the enterprise market and had recently purchased several other large vendors . DEC was a major player overseas where Compaq had less presence . However , Compaq had little idea what to do with its acquisitions , and soon found itself in financial difficulty of its own . The company subsequently merged with Hewlett-Packard ( HP ) in May 2002 . As of 2007 [ update ] , PDP-11 , VAX , and AlphaServer systems were still produced under the HP name .
Digital Linear Tape ( DLT ; previously called CompacTape ) is a magnetic tape data storage technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation ( DEC ) from 1984 onwards . In 1994 , the technology was purchased by Quantum Corporation , who manufactured drives and licensed the technology and trademark . A variant with higher capacity is called Super DLT ( SDLT ) . The lower cost value line was initially manufactured by Benchmark Storage Innovations under license from Quantum . Quantum acquired Benchmark in 2002 . In 2007 Quantum stopped developing DLT drives , shifting its strategy to LTO .
Exabyte Corp. was a manufacturer of magnetic tape data storage products headquartered in Boulder , Colorado , United States . Exabyte Corp. is now defunct , but the company 's technology is sold by Tandberg Data under both brand names . Prior to the 2006 demise , Exabyte offered tape storage and automation solutions for servers , workstations , LANs and SANs . Exabyte is best known for introducing the Data8 ( 8mm ) magnetic tape format in 1987 . At the time of its demise , Exabyte manufactured VXA and LTO based products . The company controlled VXA technology but did not play a large role in the LTO community .
Sony Corporation ( ソニー株式会社 , Sonī Kabushiki Kaisha , /ˈsoʊni/ SOH-nee , commonly known as Sony and stylized as SONY ) is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Kōnan , Minato , Tokyo . Its diversified business includes consumer and professional electronics , gaming , entertainment and financial services . The company owns the largest music entertainment business in the world , the largest video game console business and one of the largest video game publishing businesses , and is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional markets , and a leading player in the film and television entertainment industry . [ better source needed ] Sony was ranked 97th on the 2018 Fortune Global 500 list . Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group ( ソニー・グループ , Sonī Gurūpu ) , which is engaged in business through its four operating components : electronics ( AV , IT & communication products , semiconductors , video games , network services and medical business ) , motion pictures ( movies and TV shows ) , music ( record labels and music publishing ) and financial services ( banking and insurance ) . These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world . The group consists of Sony Corporation , Sony Pictures , Sony Mobile , Sony Interactive Entertainment , Sony Music , Sony Financial Holdings , and others . Sony is among the semiconductor sales leaders and since 2015 , the fifth-largest television manufacturer in the world after Samsung Electronics , LG Electronics , TCL and Hisense . The company 's current slogan is Be Moved . Their former slogans were The One and Only ( 1979-1982 ) , It 's a Sony ( 1982-2005 ) , like.no.other ( 2005-2009 ) and make.believe ( 2009-2013 ) . Sony has a weak tie to the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group ( SMFG ) corporate group , the successor to the Mitsui group .
The 8 mm Backup Format is a magnetic tape data storage format used in computer systems , pioneered by Exabyte Corporation . It is also known as Data8 , often abbreviated to D8 and is written as D-Eight on some Sony branded media . Such systems can back up up to 60 GB of data depending on configuration . The tapes used are mechanically the same as the tapes used in 8 mm video format recorders and camcorders . Until the advent of AIT , Exabyte were the sole vendor of 8 mm format tape drives . The company was formed with the aim of taking the 8 mm video format and making it suitable for data storage . They did so by building a reliable mechanism and data format that used the common 8 mm helical scan video tape technology that was available then . Exabyte 's first 8 mm tape drive was made available in 1987 . This was followed up with their Mammoth tape drive in 1996 , and the Mammoth-2 ( M2 ) in 1999 . Exabyte 's drive mechanisms were frequently rebranded and integrated into UNIX systems .
The Hewlett-Packard Company ( commonly referred to as HP , and stylized as hp ) , or Hewlett-Packard ( /ˈhjuːlɪt ˈpækərd/ HEW-lit PAK-ərd ) , was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto , California . It developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components as well as software and related services to consumers , small- and medium-sized businesses ( SMBs ) and large enterprises , including customers in the government , health and education sectors . In 1999 , HP split into two companies : one retaining the original company name , the other named Agilent Technologies . The first product line of Hewlett-Packard , test and measurement equipment , went to Agilent Technologies , while HP retained focus on its later products including computers and printers . In 2015 , HP again was split into two separate companies , HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise . The company was founded in a one-car garage ( the historic HP Garage at 367 Addison Avenue , an official California Historical Landmark ; its plaque reads Birthplace of 'Silicon Valley ' ) in Palo Alto , California by Bill Hewlett and David Packard , and initially produced a line of electronic test and measurement equipment . The company got its first big contract in 1938 , providing its test and measurement instruments for production of Walt Disney Pictures ' hugely successful animated film Fantasia . This success led Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard to formally establish their Hewlett-Packard Company on 1 January 1939 . The company grew into a multinational corporation widely respected for its products , and its management style and culture known as the HP Way which was adopted by other businesses worldwide . HP was the world 's leading PC manufacturer from 2007 to Q2 2013 , at which time Lenovo ranked ahead of HP . HP specialized in developing and manufacturing computing , data storage , and networking hardware , designing software and delivering services . Major product lines included personal computing devices , enterprise and industry standard servers , related storage devices , networking products , software and a diverse range of printers and other imaging products .
Digital Data Storage ( DDS ) is a computer data storage technology that is based upon the digital audio tape ( DAT ) format that was developed during the 1980s . DDS is primarily intended for use as off-line storage , especially for generating backup copies of working data . A DDS cartridge uses tape with a width of 3.81mm , with the exception of the latest formats , DAT-160 and DAT-320 , both which use 8mm wide tape . Initially , the tape was 60 meters ( 197 feet ) or 90 meters ( 295 ft. ) in length . Advancements in materials technology have allowed the length to be increased significantly in successive versions . A DDS tape drive uses helical scan recording , the same process used by a video cassette recorder ( VCR ) . Backward compatibility between newer drives and older cartridges is not assured ; the compatibility matrices provided by manufacturers will need to be consulted . Typically drives can read and write tapes in the prior generation format , with most ( but not all ) also able to read and write tapes from two generations prior . Notice in HP 's article that newer tape standards do not simply consist of longer tapes ; with DDS-2 , for example , the track was narrower than with DDS-1 . At one time , DDS competed against the Linear Tape-Open ( LTO ) , Advanced Intelligent Tape ( AIT ) , VXA , and Travan formats . However , AIT , Travan and VXA are no longer mainstream , and the capacity of LTO has far exceeded that of the most recent DDS standard , DDS-320 .
Quantum Corporation stores and manages video and video-like data . The company offers high streaming performance for video and rich media applications , along with low cost , high density massive-scale data protection and archive systems . Quantum enables customers to capture , create and share digital data and preserve and protect it for decades . The company works with a network of distributors , VARs , DMRs , OEMs and other suppliers . From its founding in 1980 until 2001 , it was also a major disk storage manufacturer ( usually second-place in market share behind Seagate ) , and was based in Milpitas , California . Quantum sold its hard disk drive business to Maxtor in 2001 and now focuses on integrated storage systems . The company 's headquarters is in San Jose , California .
Digital Linear Tape ( DLT ; previously called CompacTape ) is a magnetic tape data storage technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation ( DEC ) from 1984 onwards . In 1994 , the technology was purchased by Quantum Corporation , who manufactured drives and licensed the technology and trademark . A variant with higher capacity is called Super DLT ( SDLT ) . The lower cost value line was initially manufactured by Benchmark Storage Innovations under license from Quantum . Quantum acquired Benchmark in 2002 . In 2007 Quantum stopped developing DLT drives , shifting its strategy to LTO .
Visual servoing , also known as vision-based robot control and abbreviated VS , is a technique which uses feedback information extracted from a vision sensor ( visual feedback ) to control the motion of a robot . One of the earliest papers that talks about visual servoing was from the SRI International Labs in 1979 .