LTO-9 compatibility in one line
- An LTO-9 drive reads and writes LTO-9 and LTO-8 cartridges, and nothing older.
- LTO-9 cartridges work only in LTO-9 drives. LTO-10 drives cannot read them.
The LTO compatibility chart
Each LTO cartridge belongs to one generation, but drives can usually handle some older media. The rules changed with LTO-8, and again with LTO-10:
| Drive | LTO-10 | LTO-9 | LTO-8 | LTO-7 | LTO-6 | LTO-5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTO-10 | R/W | — | — | — | — | — |
| LTO-9 | — | R/W | R/W | — | — | — |
| LTO-8 | — | — | R/W | R/W* | — | — |
| LTO-7 | — | — | — | R/W | R/W | Read |
| LTO-6 | — | — | — | — | R/W | R/W |
| LTO-5 | — | — | — | — | — | R/W |
R/W = read and write. *LTO-8 drives can also initialise new LTO-7 cartridges as 9TB “Type M” media. LTO-6 drives also read LTO-4, and LTO-5 drives read and write LTO-4 and read LTO-3.
What changed with LTO-9
From LTO-1 to LTO-7, drives followed a simple rule: read two generations back, write one generation back. Starting with LTO-8, and continued in LTO-9, drives support only one previous generation, for both reading and writing. Higher track densities and new media formulations made it impractical to support older formats in the same drive.
In practice, an organisation that still holds LTO-7 tapes cannot restore them in an LTO-9 drive. Keep an LTO-7 or LTO-8 drive available, or migrate the data before retiring older hardware.
Upgrade paths
From LTO-8
The smoothest upgrade. LTO-9 drives read and write your existing LTO-8 media, so you can add or swap drives and introduce LTO-9 cartridges gradually.
From LTO-7 or older
Keep at least one compatible older drive, or an LTO-8 drive for LTO-7 media, to restore existing tapes. Migrate the archive you need to keep to LTO-9 or LTO-10 while you still can.
Interoperability with systems and software
LTO-9 works with all mainstream operating systems (Windows Server, Linux and macOS for desktop drives) and with the leading backup and archive applications, so you can protect existing software investments. With LTFS, an LTO-9 cartridge becomes a self-describing volume that any LTFS-capable system can read.
Flexible infrastructure
LTO-9 drives are available as internal and external standalone units and in every class of autoloader and library. Libraries can mix LTO-8 and LTO-9 drives, or LTO-9 and LTO-10 drives, in separate partitions. That lets you upgrade in stages without disrupting backups.
Cost savings through compatibility
Because LTO-9 reads and writes LTO-8, you can keep using existing LTO-8 media in rotation, avoid a large one-off migration, and spread the cost of upgrading over time.
What about LTO-10?
LTO-10 has no backward compatibility, so it cannot read LTO-9 or LTO-8. If you plan to move to LTO-10, see LTO-9 vs LTO-10 for migration strategies. Unsure what you have? Call 01256 331614 with your drive or library model and we will check for you.