The definition of X3B5, where it fits in the national and international standards development process, and how it interfaces and influences the world community of standards developers are provided. Details concerning the focus of the committee, how it operates, and what the group sees as the future trends in the area of interchange standards utilizing the multifaceted, ubiquitous magnetic tape are presented

Cheatham, Sam

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

The Standards Process:
Technical Committee X3B5
Digital Magnetic Tape
Sam Cheatham
Storage Technology Corporation
Vice President
Tape and Library Systems Development
VC Technical Committee X3B5
2270 South 88th Street
MS 0275
Louisville, CO 80028
Abstract
The presentation will provide the definition of X3B5, where it fits in
the national and international standards development process and how
it interfaces and influences the world community of standards
developers. Detail concerning the focus of the committee, how it
operates and what the group sees as the future trends in the area of
interchange standards utilizing the multifaceted, ubiquitous magnetic
tape. Highlighted in the presentation is:
• The definition of X3B5
Where it fits in the Information Technology
Standards development arena (US).
How it interfaces with the world community
..¢ _,.,_n_,.n, developers.ILSJ. _.JwLC2LILa.q.2tt_a. _
• The purview of X3B5.
• How it operates. (TC Style Guide)
The technologies and their future
directions.
395
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930022778 2020-03-17T05:19:55+00:00Z
The Standards Process; X3B5
In general, a technical committee such as X3B5 is defined by the projects it is authorized
to develop. Specifically, Technical Committee X3B5, Digital Magnetic Tape, develops
proposed standards for the interchange of data by digital magnetic tape for computer
peripheral applications. These standards developments apply to three levels of digital
data interchange i.e., Media, unrecorded magnetic media and its associated container
for media compatibility; Physical Format, the recorded format for subsystem
compatibility; Logical Format, the labels and file structure for system interoperability.
The committee is comprised of 40 voting members and 13 observers. Over the many
years of its existence, the membership of X3B5 has changed. The changes that have
occurred however, have been gradual, reflecting normal attrition and changes in
technology. A basic cadre of committee members has always been in place and it
provides the necessary continuity to ensure that the developed proposed standards are
consistent and technically sound. Effective leadership in a voluntary, consensus
process, in addition to technically astute contributing participants are paramount if
any level of success is to be achieved. Fortunately, X3B5 has had and still has both.
Evidence of the above is demonstrated by the number of projects worked concurrently
(28), and the number of standards developed and maintained (28) by the committee
which is under the current chairmanship of Mr. Richard Steinbrenner.
In the United States, X3B5 is one of 43 technical committees developing standards in
the information technology arena. The Computer Business Equipment Manufacturers
Association (CBEMA) is the Secretariat for X3 ,the Accredited Standards Committee,
Information Processing Systems, which manages the standards developments within
its purview ensuring that due process in developing these standards is achieved. When a
developed standard meets all the due process criteria specified by the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), it is published as an ANSI Standard.
The global relationships of X3B5 are carried out via ANSI's affiliations with the
various national and international standards developers. The international
committee of interest to X3B5 is the International Organization for Standardization /
International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) Joint Technical Committee 1
(JTC 1). ANSI not only holds the Secretariat for ISO/IEC JTC I, but represents the
United States in those JTC 1 Sub Committees that are of interest to the U.S.. ISO/IEC
JTC I/SCI I, Flexible Magnetic Media for Digital Data Interchange and ISO/IEC JTC
1/SC15, Labelling and File Structure are the committees to which X3B5 is a Co-
Technical Advisory Group.
TAGs are committees accredited by ANSI's Executive Standards Council (ExSC) for
participation in ISO technical activities and operate in compliance with the ANSI
Criteria for the Development and Coordination of US Positions in the International
Standardization Activities of the ISO and IEC. The TAG is the ANSI recognized group
that has the primary responsibility for participation in the ISO Technical Committee
or Subcommittee work. It is the TAGs job to recruit delegations, supervise their work,
and determine ANSI positions on proposed standards.
The functions of the TAG are as follows:
Recommend registration of ANSI as a "P" or "O" member of an ISO
technical committee or subcommittee or recommend a change in
ANSI membership status on an ISO technical committee or
subcommittee. In this case, "P" membership to SCI I and SC15 was
recommended.
• Initiate and approve US proposals for new work items for
consideration by an ISO technical committee or subcommittee.
396
Initiate and approve US working drafts for submittal to ISO
technical committees or subcommittees (and where appropriate,
working groups) for consideration as committee drafts.
Determine the US position on an ISO draft intemational standard,
draft technical report, committee drafts, ISO questionnaires, draft
reports of meetings, etc.
Provide adequate US representation to ISO technical committee or
subcommittee meetings, designate heads of delegations and members
of delegations, and ensure compliance with the ANSI Guide for US
Delegates to ISO / IEC Meetings.
Determine US positions on agenda items of ISO technical committee
or subcommittee meetings and advise the US delegation of any
flexibility it may have on these positions.
Nominate US technical experts to serve on ISO working groups.
Provide assistance to US secretariats of ISO technical committees or
subcommittees, upon request, including resolving comments on draft
international standards, draft technical reports and committee
drafts.
Identify and establish close liaison with other US technical advisory
groups in related fields, or identify ISO or IEC activities that may
overlap the TAG's scope.
• Recommend to ANSI the acceptance of secretariats for ISO technical
committees or subcommittees. ANSI hold the Secretariat for SC 1 I.
• Recommend that ANSI invite ISO technical committees or
subcommittees to meet in the United States.
Recommend to ANSI US candidates for chair of ISO technical
committees or subcommittees and US convenors of ISO working
Groups.
X3B5 also interacts with its equivalent technical committees in the European
Computer Equipment Manufacturers Association (ECMA), TC17, Magnetic Tapes and
Cartridges and TC19, Flexible Disk Cartridges. A number of X3B5 members are also
members of the corresponding ECMA committees. This direct involvement provides the
conduit to ensure that standards developed in the U.S. are technically equivalent to
those develoT_ed at ECMA and subseouently at th_ T_/T_ .TTC' I _.,,1-,,,.,-,,.,-,-,.,-,-.,_._oo'r_ 4-_
U.S., liaison activities with X3 technical committees, X3B6, Instrumentation Tape,
X3B8, Flexible Disk Cartridges, X3Bll, Optical Digital Data Disks, and X3T9, I/O
Interfaces are maintained.
The method of operation employed by the X3 Technical Committees is delineated in
X3/Standing Document-2, Organization, Rules and Procedures of X3. This document
defines the requirements for membership, officers, documentation, voting, etc. that
ensure due process, in addition to the oliicial rules and regulations that direct the
standards development process within X3B50 the committee has developed a TC Style
Guide for use by the various project editors.
397
The Guide is used to assist in the preparation of draft standards that conform to ANSrs
requirements and to X3B5's unique requirements. The guide provides information on
format, style, standardized text, approved definitions and conversion of units unique to
X3B5's Requirements. Always viewed to be a "living document", it has been updated to:
• Encompass new common aspects brought about by helical-scan
technology.
• Be compatible with the ISO/IEC Directives on the Drafting and
Presentation of International Standards.
• Be compatible with the new ANSI Style Manual.
• Take into account lessons learned from experience with the ANSI
Pre-Edit Process.
Another "tool of the trade' is the Model for Digital Data Interchange by means of
removable computer storage media (DDI Model). The purpose of the DDI reference model
is to serve as a general planning document which clarifies where specific tasks should
be undertaken by standardization committees. It also serves as a conceptual tool which
can be applied in building coherent sets of standards for specific digital data
interchange applications. The DDI Model is comprised of four levels. Level 1 specifies
the interchange requirements for the unrecorded media. Some of the requirements in
this area include but are not restricted to the dimensional, mechanical, magnetic and
optical properties. Level 2 specifies the interchange requirements for the recorded
media. Items such as track locations, data correction techniques, modulation schemes
etc., are considered. Level 3 specifies the interchange requirements for the volume
identification labels, file directories and file structures of the recorded media. X3B5
concerns itself with these three levels of the model. Level 4 is required in order to
accomplish general tasks, such as interchanging ASCII files on a particular medium, or
specialized tasks, such as interchanging text on flexible disk cartridges or
interchanging images on optical disks.
An example of an implementation of the DDI Model is as follows:
I._WI_ 3
LOGICAL FORMAT X3.27-1987 Magnetic Tape Labels and File Structure
X3.14 - 1983
X3.22 -1990
X3.39 -1992
X3.157-1987
X3.54 -1992
Recorded Magnetic Tape, 200 cpL NRZI
Recorded Magnetic Tape, 800 cpi, NRZI
Recorded Magnetic Tape, 1600 cpi, PE
Recorded Magnetic Tape, 3200 cpL PE
Recorded Magnetic Tape, 6260 cpL GCR
I,EVEL1
MEDIA X3.40 -199X Unrecorded Magnetic Tape, 800 cpL
1600 cpL 6250 cpi
398
The technologies encompassed by the activities of X3B5 include the following:
LONGITUDINAL RECORDING HELICAL SCAN RECORDING
1/2" Open Reel Tape 4mm Cartridge
1/2" Tape Cartridge 8mm Cartridge
1/4" ,Tape Cartridge 12.65mm Cartridge
•15" Tape Cassette 19mm Cartridge
The continuing evolution of the above technologies in the area of volumetric efficiency,
elemental capacities and transfer rates as required by the market and the maintenance
of present standards constitute a workload that extends into the next century.
399
The Standards Process
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE X3B5
DIGITAL MAGNETIC TAPE
Sam Cheatham
Storage Technology Corporation
VP Tape & Library Systems Dev,
VC Technical Committee X3B5
4Or
Who / What is
X3B5
• DEFINED BY ASSIGNED PROJECTS
• PROJECTS ADDRESS DATA INTERCHANGE
• INTERCHANGE MEDIA IS MAGNETIC TAPE
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
Who / What
X3B5
is
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE X3B5 DEVELOPS
PROPOSED STANDARDS FOR THE
INTERCHANGE OF DATA BY DIGITAL
MAGNETIC TAPE FOR COMPUTER
PERIPHERAL APPLICATIONS
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
4O2
Who / What is
X3B5
• OPERATING MORE THAN 25 YEARS
• RESPONSIBLE FOR 56 PROJECTS
28 UNDER DEVELOPMENT
18 IN MAINTENANCE MODE
5 UNDER REAFFIRMATION
3 UNDER REVISION
1 LIAISON PROJECT
1 TECHNICAL REPORT
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
• 13
• 150
OBSERVERS
PERSON MAILING LIST
Sam Cheatham Stora Technolo
403
U.S. ORGANIZATION
ANSi I----I
,I3TC I TAG Amerlcan National Standards Institute C B E M A J
I
l "Accredited Standards CommitteeInformation Processing Systems
I
I X3 Technical Committees I
X3B5
Technical Committee
Digital Magnetic Tape
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
U.S. ORGANIZATION
IX3 Technical Committees I
X3J1 PL / 1
X3J2 Butt
X3J3 Fmlrsn
X3J43 COBOL
X3J7 APT
X3JO PASCAL
X3J10 APL
X3Jll C
X_112 DIBOL
X3J13 USP
X3J14 FORTH
X3JIS DATABUS
X3J16 C+*
X3J17 PROLOG
X_J18 REXX
Sam Cheatham
404
U.S. ORGANIZATION
I JTC 1 IISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1
I
I JTC 1 TAG American National Standards Institute
I
1Accredited Standards CommitteeInformation Processing Systems
I
I X3 Technical Committees I
1
X3B5
Technical Committee
Digital Magnetic Tape
Sam Cheatham Stora • Techn )oration
GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS
I U'S' I I Eur°pean _
Government Commission
I _____L_, I ICEN I
I COPANT US STANDARDS I !------4 CENELEC
EOTC
Sam Cheatham
CO.Mi.rrY /=1 L_ BSl,DIN, '
XJB5 AFNOR,
Digital Magnetic I
Tape JISC/JSA,
SCC
Technolo_
405
X3B5
Liaison Activities
ISO/IEC JTC-1
Co U.S. TAG to
SC11, Flexible Magnetic Media for Digital Data Interchange
SC15, Labelling and File Structure
ECMA
TC17, Magnetic Tapes and Tape Cartridges
TCl 9, Flexible Disk Cartridges
X3
X3B6, Instrumentation Tape
X3B8, Flexible Disk Cartridges
X3B11, Optical Digital Data Disks
X3L2, Codes & Character Sets
X3T9,
Sam Cheatham
I/0 Interfaces
Storage Technology Corporation
X3B5
How it Operates
Tools of the Trade
• Standing Document 2 • Development Process
• Membership • Officers
• Agendas • Document Distribution
• Document Registers • Meeting Schedules
• Minutes & Action Items
• DDI Reference Model
Sam Cheatham
• Voting
• TC Style Guide
Stora( _1o, )oration
406
Sam Cheatham
X3B5
How it Operates
Procedures: SD-2
"The Object of these procedures is to
achieve a concensus of the participants
rather than some minimum ratio of
approvals versus objections to produce
technically sound standards which will
be used because of their technical and
economic merit and to ensure that due
process in developing these standards
is achieved."
Storage Technology Corporation
X3B5
How it Operates
The Digital Data Interchange Reference Model
Purpose:
• It serves as a Conceptual Tool in Building a
Coherent Set of Standards
• It Serves as a General Planning Document
for the Standards Activities
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
407
X3B5
How it Operates
I Level 3:Volume, File & Directory Identification
Interchange RequirementsI Level 2:
Level 1:
The Unrecorded Media
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
A DDI Standards Set
LOGICAL
FORMAT
(LEVEL 3)
PHYSICAL
(LEVEL2)
X3.27-1987
X3.14-1983
X3.22-1990
X3.39-1992
X3.15_1987
X3.54-1992
200 CPI
800 CPI
1600 CPI
3200 CPI
6250 CPI
MEDIA
(LEVEL 1)
Sam Cheatham
X3.40-199X
Storage Technology Corporation
408
X3B5
How it Operates
TC Style Guide
• Assists in the preparation of draft standards
Conform to ANSI requirements
Conform to X3B5 requirements
• Provides Information on
Format
Standardized text
Style Units Conversion
Approved definitions
• A"Living Document" Updated to
Encompass new common technology aspects
Be compatible with the ISO/IEC Directives
Be compatible with the ANSI Style Manual
Incorporate lessons learned from recent experience
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
Technologies
Longitudinal Recording
1/2" Open Reel Tape
1/2" Tape Cartridge
1/4" Tape Cartridge
.15" Tape Cassette
Helical Scan Recording
4mm Cartridge
8mm Cartridge
12.65 mm Cartridge
19 mm Cartridge
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
409
Future Trends
(Capacity in M bytes)
Media Technology Present Near Term Future
1/2" Tape Open Reel 180
1/2" Tape Cartridge 100-320 425-640
1/4" Tape Cartridge 50-1350 2100
.15" Tape Cassette 20-160 410-600
4ram HS Cartridge 2000 4000
8ram HS Cartridge 300-2300 5000
12,65 mm HS Cartridge 20000
19 mm HS Cartridge 10000
Sam Cheatham
1280-2560
10000
1200
8000
35000 +
Storage Technology Corporation
Who / What
X3B5
is
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE X3B5 DEVELOPS
PROPOSED STANDARDS FOR THE
INTERCHANGE OF DATA BY DIGITAL
MAGNETIC TAPE FOR COMPUTER
PERIPHERAL APPLICATIONS
Sam Cheatham Storage Technology Corporation
410


The standards process: Technical committee X3B5 digital magnetic tape

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