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A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic-tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.
Tape systems attempt to alleviate the intrinsic long latency, either using indexing, where a separate lookup table (tape directory) is maintained which gives the physical tape location for a given data block number (a must for serpentine drives), or by marking blocks with a tape mark that can be detected while winding the tape at high speed.
Linear Tape-Open (LTO), also known as the LTO Ultrium format, [1] is a magnetic tape data storage technology used for backup, data archiving, and data transfer.It was originally developed in the late 1990s as an open standards alternative to the proprietary magnetic tape formats available at the time.
Subsequently, tape libraries became physically automated, and as such are sometimes called a tape silo, tape robot, or tape jukebox. These are a storage devices that contain one or more tape drives , a number of slots to hold tape cartridges , a barcode reader to identify tape cartridges, and an automated method for loading tapes (a robot).
The Linear Tape File System (LTFS) is a file system that allows files stored on magnetic tape to be accessed in a similar fashion to those on disk or removable flash drives. It requires both a specific format of data on the tape media and software to provide a file system interface to the data.
9-track tape drive used with DEC minicomputers Inside a 9-track tape drive. The vacuum columns are the two gray rectangles on the left. A typical 9-track unit consists of a tape transport—essentially all the mechanics that moves tape from reel to reel past the read/write and erase heads—and supporting control and data read/write electronics.