LTO-4 at a glance
- 800GB native, 1.6TB compressed (2:1)
- 120MB/s native transfer rate
- First LTO generation with built-in AES-256 drive encryption
- Readable in LTO-4, LTO-5 and LTO-6 drives
LTO-4 tape
LTO-4 launched in 2007 and made it a top choice in the data centre for backup, long-term archive and data interchange. It was the first generation to include hardware encryption in the drive (AES-256 in Galois/Counter Mode). That meant data could be encrypted at full speed without slowing backups, which mattered a lot to organisations sending tapes offsite.
To reach 800GB per cartridge, manufacturers used a thinner base film (6.6µm versus 8.0µm for LTO-3). The longer tape (820m versus 680m) and more data tracks (896 versus 704) called for finer magnetic particles, smoother surface coatings and more precise servo tracking.
LTO-4 specifications
Compatibility
- An LTO-4 drive reads and writes LTO-4 and LTO-3, and reads LTO-2.
- An LTO-5 drive reads and writes LTO-4.
- An LTO-6 drive reads LTO-4 but cannot write to it.
- LTO-7 and newer drives cannot read LTO-4.
Supplying LTO-4 today
We can still source LTO-4 cartridges from Fujifilm, HPE, IBM, Quantum and others for customers running LTO-4 drives, subject to availability, along with LTO-4 WORM and cleaning cartridges. On orders of 20 or more we can supply pre-printed barcode labels in the right sequence for your library.
LTO-4 drives are now hard to replace, and only LTO-6 and older drives can read LTO-4 media. If you hold LTO-4 archives you need to keep, migrate them to a current generation soon. One LTO-9 cartridge holds the contents of more than twenty LTO-4 tapes.
Call us to check LTO-4 stock or plan a migration onto modern LTO.