Imation (http://www.imation.com) is ready to begin shipping its Imation LTO Ultrium Generation 5 tape cartridges, with nearly double the storage capacity, increased data transfer rates, and a new partitioning functionality over the prior tape generation.
This follows certification by the Measurement Analysis Corporation (MAC), an independent testing board for compliance verification testing, and the LTO Technology Provider Companies: HP, IBM Corporation and Quantum Corp. Imation previously announced that it was the first company to obtain the license to develop and manufacture this new multi-terabyte LTO 5 tape.
With a native capacity of 1.5 terabytes and 3.0 terabytes of compressed storage, data transfer rates of up to 280 MB/second compressed, data encryption, and new partitioning functionality to enhance file control and space management, the LTO 5 format offers significant improvements over prior LTO tape generations, according to Subodh Kulkarni, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Imation’s global commercial business. Imation Ultrium LTO 5 tape is the second generation to offer drive level hardware-based writing of encrypted data to the tape cartridge.
The LTO Ultrium format generation 5 drives are designed with backwards-compatible read-and-write capability with the Ultrium format generation four cartridges, and backward read capabilities with generation three cartridges. They sport Imation proprietary TeraAngstrom technology that results in tape with a significantly smoother surface and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), delivering fewer errors and faster transfer rates, according to Kulkarni.
The LTO Ultrium format is a powerful, scalable, adaptable open tape format developed and enhanced by technology providers HP, IBM Corporation and Quantum Corp to help address the growing demands of data protection in the midrange to enterprise-class server environments.
