Figure 13-8 shows the TS3500 tape library shuttle complex, which illustrates the capability of  moving tapes from one library string to another by bypassing the intermediate library strings  in comparison to a traditional pass through method. The TS3500 tape library transports tape  cartridges in shuttle cars that pass over the libraries.  This method of transporting cartridges is called  direct flight . With the direct flight capability, if  there is no drive available in the home logical library, the cartridge is moved across a shuttle  connection to a logical library with an available drive. This configuration of interconnected  parallel library strings is called a  shuttle complex . As shown in Figure 13-9 on page 369, the shuttle complex consists of the following  components: 368  IBM Tape Library Guide for Open Systems 1. Shuttle stations 2. Shuttle span 3. Shuttle Connection 4. Shuttle car (see Figure 13-12 on page 374) The shuttle station mounts on top of an HD frame. It consists of a base pad and a shuttle  slot. The shuttle slot docks into the base pad. When the shuttle slot is positioned all the  way into the frame station, it can accept or deliver a cartridge. Each shuttle station has its  own import/export element (IEE) address. One or more shuttle spans are linked together to form a shuttle connection between HD  frames in parallel library strings. Shorter shuttle spans support distances between library  strings ranging from 762 mm (30 in.) to 1 524 mm (60 in.). Longer shuttle spans support  distances between library strings ranging from 1 524 mm (60 in.) to 2 743.2 mm (108 in.). A shuttle connection consists of one shuttle car, two or more shuttle stations, and one or  more spans between these shuttle stations. Each shuttle connection supports one shuttle  car. The shuttle car is the mechanism that carries one tape cartridge through the shuttle  connection to another library string. Each shuttle car carries one tape cartridge at a time. Figure 13-8 TS3500 tape library shuttle complex advantage