Every company has a need to back up their critical data in case their original is lost or corrupted. This need of archiving gave birth to the external data storage industry. Many leading industrial manufactures like IBM, HP, Sony, Quantum, Imation and many more, manufactured storage devices to meet the archival and backup needs of all organisations and businesses.

Over the past couple of decades the magnetic tape data storage format has been the most popular archival and backup solution for companies. There are a number of different data tapes available in the market but over the years there are 3 formats that have distinguished themselves as being the most popular data tapes in the industry. Here is a look at them in detail:

Linear Tape Open (LTO)

The LTO tape format was manufactured by HP, IBM and Seagate and the first version was released back in the year 2000. Known as the LTO Ultrium or the LTO Backup Tapes, this format is currently the most popular backup solution in the market today. The format uses a half inch wide magnetic tape in a small single reel cartridge.

Image Credit : maxellcanada.com

There are 6 generations of the format namely LTO-1, LTO-2, LT0-3, LTO-4, LTO-5 and the LTO-6 Data Backup Tape. The storage capacity offered by this format ranges from 100 GB for the LTO-1 Tapes to 2.5 TB for the LTO-6 Tapes. The data transfer speeds range from 20 MB/s to 160 MB/s. Good encryption capability, W.O.R.M (Write Once Read Many) feature and an overall superior performance are just some of the highlights of the LTO Backup Tapes. They are also available in many different brands including HP, Sony, Fuji, IBM, Imation, Quantum, Maxell and Dell.

Digital Data Storage (DDS)

The DDS Backup Tape format is another popular format known for its good performance and low cost. This format was first introduced back in 1989 and instantly gained success for its good storage capacity, transfer speed and low cost.

The generations of the DDS format include the DDS-1, DDS-2, DDS-3, DDS-4, DDS-5, DDS-6 and the DAT-320 Backup Tape. The later generations are also known by Digital Audio Tape (DAT) e.g. the DDS-6 Backup Tape is also known as DAT-160 Backup Tape. The storage capacities range from 1.3 GB for DDS-1 to 160 GB for DAT-320. The transfer speeds range from 0.12 MB/s for DDS-1 to 12 MB/s for DAT-320.

Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT)

The AIT Backup Tapes are developed and controlled by Sony and use a cassette for data storage. There are two forms of AIT tapes. One uses a magnetic tape of width 8mm with a dual reel cartridge while the other uses a half inch magnetic tape with a single reel cartridge. Although discontinued, the AIT Tapes are still popular in small businesses for backup purposes.

The various versions include the AIT-1, AIT-2, AIT-3, AIT-4 and the AIT-5 Backup Tape. The storage capacities range from 25 GB to 400 GB while the data transfer speeds range from 3 MB/s to 4 MB/s.

Author Bio:

Zoey S. Taubenfeld is a consultant in the data storage industry and possesses apt marketing and effective communication skills. She is currently working as a Social Media Specialist for ODSI.co.uk.

Follow Zoey S. Taubenfeld Facebook Google Plus

Share and Enjoy