LTFS - (Linear Tape File System) turns an LTO-5/6/7/8/9 or LTO-10 tape in to a self describing file system. Create folders & partitions on the tape without the need of external software & access the files as if you inserted a USB key. Using the LTFS operating system’s graphical file manager, reading and writing data on a tape cartridge is as easy as drag and drop.
The metadata of each cartridge, once mounted, is cached in server memory. Metadata operations, such as browse directory and filename search, do not require tape movement.
Forget the hassles of tape-based data recording, sharing, and storing; read/write LTFS technology lets you manage files easily and creates an efficient archiving process with no more time spent searching. The LTFS software provides an easy way to access, manage and protect your data, as well as its index. LTFS is also compatible with other LTO tape systems. Simply remove the cartridge from your computer and insert it into a new LTO Ultrium drive for data transfer. Once inserted into the drive, the data can be accessed by simply dragging and dropping files from a USB flash drive into an LTFS partition on an LTO Ultrium drive. This allows data to be easily transferred between operating systems without reformatting each time.
As a data storage alternative, LTO tape is increasingly being used to protect, transport, and archive large amounts of data. But despite the benefits of such technology, there are still some challenges when it comes to using LTO tape drives in your workstation. LTFS (Linear Tape File System) solves these issues by providing simple and fast movements of files from tape to the hard disk and vice versa. The software works equally well for both moving large files and whole folders from one device to another; there’s no need for complicated setups or special software drivers – just drag and drop files at high speed directly from tape onto the desktop or vice-versa.
Linear Tape File System (LTFS) works incorporated with LTO technology's "partitioning capability" LTFS can be self-describing to enhance archive management. It only takes a few seconds to use a file from a USB flash drive to access data stored on an LTO Ultrium tape cartridge.
Key LTFS Features
Accessible on 3592 tapes, LTO-5, LTO-6, LTO-7, LTO-8, LTO-9 & LTO-10 tapes
Operating systems are not typically shipped with built-in tape library support. Standard OS disk interfaces did not enable direct reading and writing to tape cartridges. Prior to LTFS, each tape could only be read by the same backup software that wrote it.
LTFS was originally developed by IBM to provide an easy way to archive data to tape without the requirement of 3rd party software. The current Linear Tape File System supports all LTO drives which have 1Gb Ethernet port and is available on LTO-9.
Designed to store files sequentially LTFS is ideal for storing digital data. This is perfect for use with video footage which creates a huge amount of data when editing 2k, 4k, 8k or 3D video files. An LTFS tape can be moved from one OS to another OS guaranteeing data interchange.
A backup is designed to restore recently deleted files, recover systems from software, hardware failure or malicious attack. A backup is taken daily, weekly, monthly and the backup data is overwritten after "x".
Archiving - An archive is a way to move important critical information from tier 1 storage. This data must be retained for a number of years as part of government, corporate, legislative or legal reasons.
Companies daily perform backups but few archive. A simple fact is 80% of all data becomes inactive after 1 year. Moving data to an archive frees up valuable disk space, decrease backup windows, perform faster restores and save money.
If you need LTFS tape drives or complete LTFS tape library solutions, please call us on 01256 331614 and we will be happy to assist.
An LTO tape drive encrypts all data as it is written to tape, making your digital information safer than if you were storing it in an unencrypted form on your existing hard drive. As a result, you can use more than one backup media simultaneously, e.g., during the off-hours when your primary server is not being accessed and a second backup takes place. The LTO tape drives that we provide with our Complete Cloud Backup service are the only ones available that fully comply with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley or HIPAA mandates regarding backup file documentation and encryption keys retention. LTO encryption is often implemented separately by various vendors, but in general, the procedure works by passing a symmetric key to the tape drive at the start of the backup operation. This key is used to encrypt (and subsequently decrypt) backup files as they are written. Data is so much more than the numbers on a spreadsheet; data is what drives business. Unstructured data and video files full of unstructured data only hold potential for your business if you can turn that information into insight. Today businesses must be able to preserve data for decades and easily extract insights from it. Our solutions do precisely that – we give you the software and services needed to manage and enrich data, including the most complex unstructured data and video files. That’s what we do—we deliver intelligent solutions that make you more successful with every new customer engagement you deliver.
