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The evolution of magnetic storage

 Award plaque by L. D. Stevens

Since delivery of the first vacuum-column magnetic-tape transport in 1953 and the first movable-head disk drive in 1957, tape and disk devices in many configurations have been the principal means for storage of the large volumes of data required by data processing systems. Magnetic drums and other device geometries have also been important system components, but to a lesser extent. Over the past twenty-five years significant developments have been made that increase the capacity, reduce the cost, and improve the performance and reliability of these devices. With each improved device the range and nature of the applications undertaken have expanded and, in turn, led to a need for further device improvement. This paper gives a general review and historical perspective of magnetic storage development within IBM and is an introduction to the subsequent papers on disk, diskette, and tape technology and on disk manufacturing.

Originally published:

IBM Journal of Research and Development, Volume 25, Issue 5, pp. 663-675 (1981).

Significance:

This paper provides a readable, comprehensive, and compelling overview and historical perspective of magnetic storage development within IBM. Since delivery of the first movable-head disk drive in 1957, tape and disk devices in many configurations have been the principal means for storage of the large volumes of data required by data processing systems. Over the decades, significant developments have been made that increased the capacity, reduced the cost, and improved the performance and reliability of these devices.

IBM has developed several magnetic storage products that were the first of their kind and provided a significant new functional capability for computing systems. Progress in the evolution of each of these products can be identified with technological innovations that go beyond basic magnetic recording technology and include innovations that range from vacuum-column tape drives with high-torque, low-inertia motors to flexible diskettes and cartridge library storage facilities.

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