Tapes are the oldest storage media that is in use at the time. Tape is a magnetic tape data storage format introduced by 3M in 1972, tapes have chanced according to the time there storage capability, reliability and speed as well and that’s way we see 4MM Tapes, 8MM Tapes, AIT Tapes, Cleaning Cartridges, DLT Tapes, LTO Tapes, QIC Tapes, SDLT Tapes, SLR / MLR Tapes, Tape Library, Tape Storage Cases, Travan Tapes, VXA Tapes, Zip Drives and 10000 Tapes still in use as of 2008. Whether you are looking for a standalone tape drive, or something to take the handling of media out of the Backup cycle, you can find below a selection of tape drives, autoloaders and libraries. A brief synopsis of some of the most common acronyms, and what they mean with respect to the technologies associated with the various tape drives
LTO Tapes (Linear Tape Open) is the latest technology normally used as a high capacity, high performance backup tape drive which has the LTO Tapes, added advantage of adhering to a common standard along with other manufacturers. Made by IBM, HP, Seagate, NEC
SLR / MLR Tapes (Serial Linear Recording) is a robust drive and media combination, which provides excellent data reliability. The SLR / MLR Tapes is a great value for money product with loads of backward compatibility and a clear roadmap into the future. From one of the longest established tape drive manufacturers, Tandberg, and used by such companies as IBM, Sun, ICL/Fujitsu as one of the standard drives installed with their systems.
QIC Tapes comes in a rugged enclosed package of aluminum and plastic that holds two tape reels driven by a single belt in direct contact with the tape. The QIC Tapes was originally one quarter inch (1/4") wide and anywhere from 300 to 1500 feet long. Data is written to tape in linear tracks in what is called "serpentine" mode, where the tracks alternate direction by use of a head switch or step. Since the introduction of the format, QIC Tapes has been widely used and many variations exist.
SDLT Tapes (Super Digital Linear Tape) a high capacity tape drive with some backward read compatibility with the previous DLT Tapes model tape drives. Now manufactured by Tandberg and Quantum.
