Note
Early IBM tape drives, such as the IBM 727 and IBM 729, 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. (1.5ms from stopped tape to full speed of up to 112.5 IPS) 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 movies and television.
Early half-inch tape had 7 parallel tracks of data along the length of the tape allowing, six-bit characters plus one bit of parity written across the tape. This was known as 7-track tape. With the introduction of the IBM System 360 mainframe, 9 track tapes were developed to support the new 8-bit characters that it used. Effective recording density increased over time. Common 7-track densities started at 200, then 556, and finally 800 cpi and 9-track tapes had densities of 800, 1600, and 6250 cpi. This translates into about 5 MB to 140 MB per standard length (2400 ft) reel of tape. At least partly due to the success of the S/360, 9-track tapes were widely used throughout the industry through the 1980s. End of file was designated by a tape mark and end of tape by two tape marks.
