What are the types of magnetic tapes

Summary: Tape drives are generally composed of a tape drive and a tape, a single drive product, which is a very economical and reliable backup device. According to the different ways of loading tapes, they are generally divided into manual tape loading tape drives and automatic tape loading tape drives, i.e., auto-loading tape drives. The most important function of a tape drive is to read and write tapes, and there are three main types of backup methods, which are DAT technology, DLT technology, and LTO technology. Here is a look at the knowledge of tape drives and tapes. Types of tapes

1, 1/4-inch tape reel tape

QIC (QuarterInchCartridge: 1/4-inch tape reel) tape is a bandwidth of 1/4-inch, equipped with a cassette tape cartridge, also known as 1/4-inch tape. It comes in two sizes, DC6000 and DC2000, of which the DC6000 tape has a 5.25-inch drive and has been phased out. And DC2000 tape drive is only 3.5 inches, the drive price is low, high degree of standardization, manufacturers are more compatible with each other, a box of DC2000 tape storage capacity is generally 400MB, is currently one of the more widely used tape.

2, digital audio tape

DAT (DigitalAudioTape: Digital Audio Tape) tape, tape width of 0.15 inches (4mm), also known as 4mm tape. As the tape storage system uses spiral scanning technology, making the tape has a high storage capacity.DAT tape systems generally use write-and-read and compression technology, both to improve the reliability of the system and the data transfer rate, but also to improve the storage capacity. At present, the storage capacity of a DAT tape can reach 12GB, while DAT tapes and drives are produced by more manufacturers is a very promising data backup products.

3, 8mm tape

It is a kind of only developed by Exabyte, suitable for medium-sized and large network and multi-user system of high-capacity tape. 8mm tape and its drive also uses the spiral scanning technology, and the tape is wider, and thus the storage capacity is very high, a cassette of the tape's maximum capacity of up to 14GB. but a single brand, fewer types.

4, 1/2-inch tape

This type of tape is divided into DLT (Digital Linear Tape) tape and IBM 3480/3490/3590 series of tapes in two categories. Due to the rapid development of DLT tape technology, has become an important standard for network backup tape drives and tape library systems, and because of the large capacity, high speed and unique development potential, so that it is exclusive in the middle and high backup system.DLT tape capacity of up to 35GB per cassette, the cost of a unit of capacity is lower; IBM 3480/3490/3590 series tapes are produced by IBM, each cassette Tape storage capacity of up to 10GB, the corresponding drive system is actually a tape library, can store multiple tapes, its robot can automatically select any one of these tapes to the drive.

Three technologies for tape drive backup

1, DAT technology

DAT technology can also be called digital audio tape technology, mainly based on helical scanning records, and then convert the data into digital storage down. DAT technology is also very reasonable price, and also provides high-quality data protection. DAT technology has been widely used, and DAT's technological advantages will be maintained. DAT technology produces a tape drive that can work up to 300,000 hours if there are no faults, and can also ensure data reliability and save a lot of time, which is also its advantage.

2, DLT technology

DLT technology is also known as digital linear tape technology, which uses a single-axis 1/2-inch tape compartment, which is based on the longitudinal curve-type recording method, the technology is generally used in some of the advanced server market. DLT technology is currently on the market in drive capacities ranging from 10g to 35g, and the speed at which data is transferred changes accordingly. This technology is also good.

3, LTO technology

This technology is also known as linear tape open protocol, which not only combines the advantages of linear multi-channel, but also uses the format of bi-directional tape, so that the technology under the tape capacity and performance have been improved. Now LTO technology has two storage formats, one is high speed open tape format and the other is fast access open tape format. The design of these two storage formats is mainly due to the fact that the requirements of all users are not exactly the same, some applications mainly emphasize on reading, while others mainly emphasize on writing, so the high-speed open tape format and fast-access open tape format meet the requirements of different customers.