StorageWorks - Revision history

Vaxorcist: /* SBB Identification Label */ Numbering corrected

2023-08-22T17:51:39Z

‎SBB Identification Label: Numbering corrected

Vaxorcist: /* StorageWorks Building Blocks */ "SBB Label" added

2023-08-22T17:48:37Z

‎StorageWorks Building Blocks: "SBB Label" added

Vaxorcist: /* StorageWorks Building Blocks */ "Blank Bezel" requirement added

2023-08-22T17:30:20Z

‎StorageWorks Building Blocks: "Blank Bezel" requirement added

Vaxorcist: More details on SBB/BA350 compatibility

2023-08-22T14:28:59Z

More details on SBB/BA350 compatibility

Vaxorcist: New page "StorageWorks"

2023-08-22T12:26:46Z

New page "StorageWorks"

New page

'''StorageWorks''' is a modular [[Small Computer System Interface|SCSI]] storage system manufactured and sold by [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] in the 1990s.

== StorageWorks Building Blocks ==

[[File:3.5 Inch SBB photo.png|thumb|150px|right|3.5" SBB]]
[[File:5.25 Inch SBB photo.png|thumb|300px|right|5.25" SBB]]

The smallest configurable active unit is called '''StorageWorks Building Block''' or short '''SBB'''.

A system building block is primarily a device carrier that contains a storage device. There are also SBBs that contain storage accessories i.e. controllers, power supplies, battery backup units, etc.

An SBB carrier is the plastic case without a device installed.

SBBs come in several standardized sizes:
* 3.5" SBB (occupies 1 slot)
* 5.25" SBB (occupies 3 slots)
* Large controller SBB (two of which one above the other; occupies 6 slots)

3.5" SBBs typically contain [[disk]]s or small [[Magnetic tape drive|tape drives]] (e.g. [[DAT]]), whereas the 5.25" SBBs are used for bigger devices, e.g. [[CDROM]] or tape drives.

Some common BBS devices:

* [[RZ25]]-VA 426 MB disk drive 3.5" SBB
* [[RZ26]]-VA 1.05 GB disk drive 3.5" SBB
* [[RZ28]]-VA 2.1 GB disk drive 3.5" SBB

* [[RRD42]]-VB 600 MB CDROM drive 5.25" SBB

* [[TLZ06]]-VA 4 GB DAT tape drive 3.5" SBB
* [[TZ86]]-VA 6 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB
* [[TZ87]]-VA 20 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB

== StorageWorks Shelves ==

[[File:BA350 photo.png|thumb|500px|right|StorageWorks BA350 Shelf with power supply and seven disk SBBs]]

Building Blocks are mounted in StorageWorks '''Shelves'''.

A StorageWorks Shelf is made of:

* plastic housing
* backplane

and optional:

* two blowers (mounted at the back)
* mounting material

=== BA350 ===

The first StorageWorks Shelf introduced was the (single-ended narrow SCSI-1) '''[[BA350]]'''.

A BA350 has got 8 slots for SBBs.

* Slots 1-5 are available for storage / controller SBBs.
* Slot 6 can be used for either a storage SBB or an optional redundant power supply SBB.
* Slot 7 is always used for the primary power supply SBB.

The BA350 can be configured for one single or two separate SCSI buses.

There are three sub-types of the BA350 shelf:
* BA350-SB SBB shelf, in which 3.5" and 5.25" form factor storage devices, controllers, and adapters are installed
* BA350-MA Controller Shelf, in which controllers and the associated cache memory is installed
* BA350-EA The Special Purpose Controller and SBB Shelf, in which controllers, the associated cache memory, and 3.5" and 5.25" form factor storage devices, controllers, and adapters are installed

== StorageWorks Enclosures ==

StorageWorks shelves fit into any enclosure that can accommodate a 445 millimeter (17.5 inch) device in either the horizontal or vertical position. The mounting bracket kits permit installing a shelf in either a data center cabinet with a metric mounting hole pattern or an [[HSC]] controller
cabinet with a Radio-Electronics-Television Manufacturer’s Association (RETMA) mounting hole pattern.

StorageWorks enclosures ([[SW500]]-series and [[SW800]]-series cabinets, and [[BA350-Kx]] deskside expansion units) are used for mounting shelves. Desktop expansion units ([[BA353]]-Ax) are used for mounting SBBs.

Each enclosure has a switch-controlled ac or dc power distribution unit.

== External links ==

* [https://manx-docs.org/collections/mds-199909/cd3/storage/ba350ugc.pdf StorageWorks Family User's Guide] (EK-BA350-UG.C01)
* [https://manx-docs.org/collections/mds-199909/cd3/storage/350saug1.pdf BA350-SA Modular Storage Shelf User's Guide] (EK-350SA-UG-001)
* [https://manx-docs.org/collections/mds-199909/cd3/storage/ba350cge.pdf StorageWorks Solutions Configuration Guide] (EK-BA350-CG.E01)

[[Category: DEC Peripherals]]
[[Category: DEC Mass Storage]]

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 The following describes the SBB identification label nouns and symbols:
-# '''Order Number''' is the type of SBB.
+. '''Order Number''' is the type of SBB.
 :: '''N''' is a 8-bit device
 :: '''W''' is a 16-bit device
 :: '''N''' - the device is 8-bit shelf compatible.
 :: '''W''' - the device is 16-bit shelf compatible.
 :: '''N/W''' - the device is compatible with either shelf.
 :: '''S''' - Slow device (5 Mb/s)
 :: '''F''' - Fast device (10 Mb/s)
 :: '''10''' is Mbits per second.
-# '''Transfer Rate in MB''' is the data transfer rate in MBytes per second.
 === Third-party Storage Devices Compatibility ===

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 * [[TZ86]]-VA 6 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB
 * [[TZ87]]-VA 20 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB
 A lot of third-party storage devices work in DEC SBBs and together with DEC computer systems; example: [[IBM]] [[DPES-31080]] 1080 MB SCSI-2 disk drives.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * 5.25" SBB (occupies 3 slots)
 * Large controller SBB (two of which one above the other; occupies 6 slots)
 .5" SBBs typically contain [[disk]]s or small [[Magnetic tape drive|tape drives]] (e.g. [[DAT]]), whereas the 5.25" SBBs are used for bigger devices, e.g. [[CDROM]] or tape drives.

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 * [[TZ86]]-VA 6 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB
 * [[TZ87]]-VA 20 GB DLT tape drive 5.25" SBB
 == StorageWorks Shelves ==
@@ Line 49: / Line 51: @@
 === BA350 ===
-The first StorageWorks Shelf introduced was the (single-ended narrow SCSI-1) '''[[BA350]]'''.
+The first StorageWorks Shelf introduced was the '''[[BA350]]''' for SCSI-1 and Narrow SCSI-2 devices.
 A BA350 has got 8 slots for SBBs.