1. What is LTO?

LTO Linear Tape Open. LTO is a new tape drive technology developed by HP, IBM and Seagate. This partnership was formed to develop an open standard format that was robust enough to serve the ever so increasing storage demands--capacity, performance, reliability, availability. LTO was created by enhancing the best-in-class features of existing tape technologies. Two formats were created: Ultrium and Accelis.

2. Why are there two separate LTO Technology tape formats?

Two formats were created because not all users require the same features and functionality. Some applications are read-intensive that require the fastest access to data. And other applications are write- intensive and fill tape cartridges very quickly, which requires the highest single-tape-cartridge capacity possible. Accelis is for fast access and Ultrium is suited for high-capacity environments. Plasmon s new tape automation offers automation utilizing the Ultrium format. Plasmon will also support LTO Accelis when the drive is available with its proven MP-series automation line.

3. What are the benefits of the Ultrium format?

• High Native Capacity--100 GB in a single cartridge
• High Native Data Rate--15-20 MB/s
• Wide Range of Applications--Ultrium format is available in 4 different cartridge capacities (10, 30, 50, and 100GB), which allows the technology to be matched to capacity, performance, and cost requirements of the application.
• LTO-CM (Cartridge Memory)--The LTO-CM feature provides a redundant file log as well as user defined information. This enhances functionality because an external reader can access this information without having to insert the cartridge into a drive.
• Multi-sourcing--Media and drives are available from multiple sources. This reduces production bottlenecks and also ensures investment protection for OEMs and end users.

4. Why should you choose LTO Ultrium format?

The tape market is flooded by a variety of proprietary tape formats. This has lead to customer confusion. LTO changes this dynamic. Ultrium offers an open tape storage solution that can be licensed by any manufacturer. As a result, Ultrium has endorsement in the tape storage industry and is backed by a multitude of hardware and media licensees. And as said above the Ultrium format is based on the best-of-available technologies to meet the capacity, performance and reliability needs of today s demanding storage environment.

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