The latest LTO Ultrium technology, is the TS2290 Tape Drive that provides up to 45 TB, the TS2280 Tape Drive provides up to 30 TB, and the TS2270 Tape Drive provides up to 15 TB all three tape drives feature 2.5:1 compressed backup storage capacity.

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The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives deliver the following features:

• Entry-level tape drives for high capacity, high performance, and high reliability
• Adherence to LTO specifications
• Support for one half-high LTO Ultrium 9 (TS2290), LTO Ultrium 8 (TS2280), or LTO Ultrium 7 (TS2270) SAS Tape Drive
• Native cartridge capacity of up to 18TB (Ultrium 9), 12 TB (Ultrium 8), or 6 TB (Ultrium 7)
• Native data transfer rate of up to 300 MB/s (Ultrium 9, 8 or 7)
• Mixed media support, including IBM LTO Write Once Read Many (WORM) media
• Remote monitoring of status of the tape drive
• Encryption support in the tape drive to work with Application Managed Encryption
• Optional rack-mount with the shelf to accommodate up to two tape drives side-by-side in a 2U rack space
• A dual-port 12 Gbps SAS attachment on Ultrium 9 and 6 Gbps on Ultrium 8
• Supports connection to Lenovo servers running Microsoft Windows and Linux server operating systems
• Support from an extensive ecosystem of backup software vendors

Figure 2. TS2290 Tape Drive

The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives include the following IBM LTO Ultrium features:

• Independent tape loader and threader motors and positive pin retentionThese technologies help improve the reliability of loading and unloading a cartridge and retain the pin, even if tension is dropped. An independent loader motor that is coupled with the positive pin retention causes the tape to thread with a higher level of reliability.
• Graceful dynamic brakingIf there is a power failure, reel motors maintain tension and gradually decelerate instead of stopping abruptly, which helps reduce tape breakage, stretching, or loose tape wraps during a sudden power outage.
• Servo and track layout technologyThere are 6656 data tracks in Ultrium 9 & 8 versus 3584 data tracks in Ultrium 7. The high-bandwidth servo system features a low mass servo to help more effectively track servo bands and improve data throughput with damaged media in less-than-optimal shock and vibration environments.
• Surface Control Guiding MechanismIBM patented Surface Control Guiding Mechanism guides the tape along the tape path in the Ultrium Tape Drives. This method uses the surface of the tape (rather than the edges) to control tape motion. This configuration helps reduce tape damage (especially to the edges of the tape) and tape debris, which comes from the damaged edges and can accumulate in the head area.
• Tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) head technology (LTO Ultrium 9 & 8 tape drives)IBM LTO Ultrium 9 & 8 Tape Drives use TMR head technology, which helps achieve increased storage capacity and high data integrity.
• Digital speed matchingThe LTO Ultrium Tape Drives perform dynamic speed matching to adjust the drive’s native data rate as closely as possible to the net host data rate (after data compressibility is factored out). This matching helps reduce the number of backhitch repositions and improve throughput performance.
• Robust drive components optimized for automation environmentsTo help enhance reliability and prolong the life of the drives, some of the most robust components available are used, such as an all metal clutch, steel ball bearings in the loader, robust leader block design, and a single circuit card.
• Power managementThe power management function of the Ultrium 9, 8 & 7 Tape Drives controls the drive electronics to be completely turned off or in a low-power mode when the circuit functions are not needed for drive operation.
• Adaptive read equalizationThis equalization automatically compensates for dynamic changes in readback signal response.
• Dynamic amplitude asymmetry compensationThis compensation dynamically optimizes readback signals for linear readback response from MR read head transducers.
• LTO Data Compression (LTO-DC)The Ultrium LTO uses LTO-DC, which is an implementation of a Lempel-Ziv class 1 (LZ-1) data compression algorithm. LTO-DC is an extension of Adaptive Lossless Data Compression (ALDC) and an improvement over previous IBM lossless compression algorithms. IBM patented “Scheme-Swapping” compression looks ahead at incoming data and determines the most efficient storage method (ALDC or pass-through mode) to help optimize data compression and increase data throughput.
• LTO Cartridge Memory (LTO-CM)Contained within the LTO Ultrium data cartridge is the LTO-CM, which is a passive, contactless silicon storage device that is physically a part of the cartridge. The LTO-CM holds information about that specific cartridge, the media in the cartridge, and the data on the media. The storage capacity of the Generation 9, 8 & 7 LTO-CM is 16320 bytes. Communication between the drive and the LTO-CM is via a low-level RF field transmitted by the drive to the cartridge.
• Statistical Analysis and Reporting System (SARS)The Ultrium Tape Drive uses SARS to help isolate failures between media and hardware. SARS uses the cartridge performance history that is saved in the CM module and the drive performance history that is kept in the flash EEPROM to help determine the likely cause of failure. SARS causes the drive to request a cleaner tape, mark the media as degraded, and indicate that the hardware is degraded.
• Highly integrated electronics that use IBM engineered copper technologyThis technology reduces the number of components in the drive, helping lower chip temperatures, and reduces power requirements to deliver a more reliable drive. The sixth-generation drive electronics provide error correction of soft errors in the memory arrays in data and control paths.
• Dual-stage head actuatorThe 32-channel actuator (LTO Ultrium 9, 8 & 7) provide precision head alignment to help support higher track density and improved data integrity.
• Separate writing of multiple filemarksThe Ultrium LTO9 is designed to cause any write command of two or more filemarks to cause a separate data set to be written containing all filemarks after the first. This feature helps improve performance if a subsequent append overwrites somewhere after the first filemark.
• Giant Magneto Resistive (GMR) head design (LTO Ultrium 7 tape drives)IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives use GMR head technology with beveled contouring for reducing striction and friction. This head design was demonstrated in enterprise tape products to help minimize contact, edge damage, debris accumulation, and wear on the tape as it moves over the read/write heads.

Figure 5. Rear view of TS2280 & TS2270

The following table lists the LTO Ultrium Tape Drives system specifications.