Computer that use tape drive

[fire_mat99]

Hi all anyone know what is DAT drives not data drives I think DAT
drives are Abbreviation of digital audiotape tape for digital
recording: a magnetic tape used in the digital recording of music so
if computer did not use thse times in 60's but sequential access how
does it work vc DAT drives .

Also DAT drives do you rewind and fast-forward or was it direct
access by track and sector number or sequential access


And are these same tape drive use today for recording 911 phone and
radio calls or are other tape drive... By computer books not clear on
this and notes not that good

[kryyst]

Normally for computers they are used for backing up data. They are a tape so they need to be forwarded and rewinded to getting to different parts of the tape.

[fire_mat99]

So how does sequential access work vc DAT drives work

[kryyst]

it creates markers on the tapes to index them and know where different back-ups started and stopped. So you can skip to the markers without it having to analyze all the data in between.

[fire_mat99]

I thought that sequential access differs from DAT drives

[fire_mat99]

it creates markers on the tapes to index them and know where different back-ups started and stopped. So you can skip to the markers without it having to analyze all the data in between.


okay is that how sequential access work I thought sequential access differs from DAT drives