LTO Professional flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Serpentine recording

LTO writes data linearly along the tape in tracks, reversing direction at each wrap and stepping the head to the next track, so a complete pass covers all active tracks.

Data set

The fundamental unit written to LTO tape; it spans all active tracks and carries error-correcting code and checksums, allowing recovery from localized media defects.

Timing-based servo

Prewritten servo bands let the drive measure head position from timing patterns, enabling precise track following and higher track density across generations.

Native capacity

The uncompressed amount of data a cartridge holds; compressed figures assume a ratio such as 2.5:1 and should not be used for planning actual storage needs.

WORM cartridge

Write-once read-many media enforced in drive hardware; it cannot be overwritten or reformatted, supporting retention and legal-hold requirements.

LTO-7 Type M media

LTO-7 cartridges initialized to hold 9.0 TB instead of 6.0 TB, usable only in LTO-8 drives; a capacity variant, not a separate generation.

LTO-8 native capacity

Twelve terabytes uncompressed per cartridge at roughly 360 MB/s native transfer, doubling LTO-7 capacity and requiring a new servo format.

LTO-9 native capacity

Eighteen terabytes uncompressed per cartridge at about 400 MB/s native transfer, using a new servo format that older drives cannot write.

Generation compatibility window

A drive typically reads its own and the previous generation and writes its own plus limited older media; always confirm against the specific drive support matrix.

Roadmap doubling target

The consortium roadmap has historically aimed to roughly double capacity per generation across a multi-generation plan; published targets are intentions and can slip.

Single-drive throughput

One LTO drive's native rate can exceed a single disk stream, so streaming performance depends on feeding the drive continuously with large sequential writes.

Two-partition LTFS media

LTFS formatting creates an index partition for the latest metadata and a data partition for file content, enabling the cartridge to be mounted as a file system.

LTFS index rebuild

After an unclean unmount, the index must be reconstructed by scanning the data partition, which is slow; clean unmounts avoid this cost.

Single-writer rule

Only one host may mount an LTFS cartridge read-write at a time; concurrent writers corrupt the index, so libraries need locking or a media manager.

LTFS append efficiency

Appending new files streams efficiently, while in-place modification and deletion cause index churn and fragmentation; design write-once workloads.

MAM attributes

Media auxiliary memory stores application and vendor metadata on the cartridge, but portability varies by software, so it is not a substitute for a catalog.

WORM drive requirement

WORM cartridges need a WORM-capable drive and WORM-aware software; otherwise the mount or first write fails in the data path.

Barcode label schema

Library slot and volume identification relies on barcode labels matching the library's expected format and length; mismatches cause inventory and mount failures.

KMIP key protocol

Key Management Interoperability Protocol lets drives, libraries, and key managers exchange keys; all parties must agree on it for encryption to work end to end.

Drive-level encryption

LTO-4 and later drives encrypt with AES-256-GCM using a host- or library-supplied key; the key is never stored on the media.

Key loss consequence

If the encryption key is lost, the cartridge is permanently unreadable; key escrow, redundancy, and separation of duties are essential controls.

Tape air gap

Offline or vaulted cartridges are unreachable over the network, making them strong ransomware protection, provided libraries are not left online with write access.

Library attack surface

Management interfaces, default credentials, and SAN exposure make libraries a target; restrict erase and format rights and segment the network.

Integrity versus confidentiality

Encryption and WORM protect confidentiality and immutability, but proving authenticity requires hash manifests and signed catalogs stored separately.

Active archive definition

Data stays online and queryable through a file or object interface while residing on tape, so it is neither a cold vault nor a backup copy.

Recall latency driver

Retrieving a file requires locating and positioning the cartridge, typically tens of seconds to minutes; design bulk or prefetch recall rather than random access.

Catalog dependency

Search and metadata live in the front-end catalog, not on tape; losing the catalog leaves unindexed cartridges, so back it up independently.

Archive versus backup

An active archive holds primary or reference data and needs its own second copy, unlike a backup which exists to restore another copy.

Tape idle power

An unmounted cartridge draws no energy, so energy per terabyte stored per year is far lower than spinning disk for infrequently accessed data.

TCO components

Total cost includes media, drives, library, power, floor space, software licenses, offsite vaulting, and migration labor across generations.

Migration cost

Technology refresh every two to three generations requires reading and rewriting data; this labor and drive time is a major hidden lifecycle cost.

Cost per TB per year

Compare storage options on cost per terabyte per year over the full retention period, including migration and disposal, not on cartridge purchase price.