INCITS/ISO/IEC 15731 : 1998

Section 1 - General
1 Scope
2 Conformance
   2.1 Magnetic tape cassette
   2.2 Generating system
   2.3 Receiving system
3 Normative references
4 Definitions
   4.1 Absolute block number
   4.2 a.c. erase
   4.3 algorithm
   4.4 Append file
   4.5 Append volume
   4.6 Average Signal Amplitude (ASA)
   4.7 azimuth
   4.8 back surface
   4.9 bit cell
   4.10 block
   4.11 Block Management Table (BMT)
   4.12 byte
   4.13 cassette
   4.14 compressed data
   4.15 Control Track
   4.16 flux transition position
   4.17 flux transition spacing
   4.18 Logical track set ID
   4.19 Logical volume
   4.20 magnetic tape
   4.21 Master Standard Reference Tape (MSRT)
   4.22 physical recording density
   4.23 Reference Field (RF)
   4.24 Secondary Standard Reference Tape (SSRT)
   4.25 Standard Reference Amplitude (SRA)
   4.26 Standard Reference Current (Ir)
   4.27 Tape Reference Edge
   4.28 Test Recording Current (TRC)
   4.29 track
   4.30 track angle
   4.31 Track Set
   4.32 Typical Field (TF)
   4.33 Unique Identifier (UID)
   4.34 word
5 Conventions and notations
   5.1 Representation of numbers
   5.2 Names
6 Acronyms
7 Environment and safety
   7.1 Testing environment
   7.2 Operating environment
   7.3 Storage environment
   7.4 Transportation
   7.5 Safety
   7.6 Flammability
   Section 2 - Requirements for the case
8 Dimensional and mechanical characteristics of the case
   8.1 General
   8.2 Type S cassette
   8.3 Type L cassette
Section 3 - Requirements for the unrecorded tape
9 Mechanical, physical and dimensional characteristics of
   the tape
   9.1 Materials
   9.2 Tape length
   9.3 Tape widths
   9.4 Width and position of splicing tape
   9.5 Discontinuity
   9.6 Tape thickness
   9.7 Longitudinal curvature
   9.8 Out-of-plane distortions
   9.9 Coating adhesion
   9.10 Layer-to-layer adhesion
   9.11 Tensile strength
   9.12 Residual elongation
   9.13 Electrical resistance of the coated surfaces
   9.14 Tape wind
10 Magnetic recording characteristics
   10.1 Typical Field TFI
   10.2 Average Signal Amplitude(ASA)
   10.3 Resolution
   10.4 Signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)
   10.5 Ease of erasure
   10.6 Tape quality
   10.7 Inhibitor tape
Section 4 - Requirements for an interchanged tape
11 Format for helical tracks
   11.1 General description of the write data path
   11.2 Formation of a Logical Track Set
   11.3 Track Set information
   11.4 Product code array processing
   11.5 Track assignments
   11.6 Formation of the contents of a helical track
   11.7 Channel bit coding (annex B)
12 Track geometry
   12.1 General
   12.2 Helically recorded tracks
   12.3 Longitudinal tracks geometry
13 Method of recording helical tracks
   13.1 Physical recording density
   13.2 Record current optimization
   13.3 Efficiency of erasure
14 Method of recording longitudinal tracks
   14.1 Overview
   14.2 Control Track
   14.3 Time Code Track
   14.4 Format for the Time Code Track
Section 5 - Requirements for recorded information
15 Recorded information
   15.1 Recording area (figure 54)
   15.2 Magnetic tape layout (figure 55)
   15.3 Physical TSID
Section 6 - Write operations
16 Write retry sequence
17 Append file operation
   17.1 Append volume
   17.2 Append write
   17.3 Overwrite
   17.4 File extension
Annexes
A - Measurement of Signal-to-Noise Ratio
B - Representation 819 coding patterns
C - Recommendations for Transportation
D - Inhibitor Tape

Describes the physical and magnetic characteristics of magnetic tape cassettes, using magnetic tape 12,65 mm wide so as to provide physical interchange of such cassettes between drives.