LTO Roadmap Now Through Generation 8

The Linear Tape-Open Program technology provider companies, HP, IBM and Quantum, announced the extension of its product roadmap, providing details for two new generations.

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Generations 7 and 8 have been added to the LTO product roadmap, calling for native capacities of 6.4 TB and 12.8 TB, respectively. Specifications include a larger compression history buffer which tests show can increase compression to 2.5 to 1. This can allow compressed cartridge capacities of 8 TB for generation 6, 16 TB for generation 7 and 32 TB for generation 8, helping users to store more data in less space and address cost control objectives.

Tape drive data transfer rates are anticipated to increase by 50 percent with each new generation, with plans for generation 6 to provide native transfer rates up to 210 MB per second, generation 7 up to 315 MB per second and generation 8 up to 472 MB per second.

"LTO compliant products have been a core part of storage solutions for over a decade due partly to a roadmap with a vision for future technology needs," said Rob Clark, VP of Business Operations at Quantum. "With a clearly defined roadmap leading to the eighth generation, LTO Technology is addressing the growing demands of data protection in midrange to enterprise-class server environments."

The LTO Program recently released specifications and new feature details for generation 5, offering a storage capacity of 3 TB (assuming 2:1 compressed) – a near doubling of capacity over the previous generation – and transfer rates of up to 280 MB per second (assuming 2:1 compressed). LTO Ultrium format generation 5 plans include new partitioning functionality enabling capabilities that can help enhance file control and space management, addressing the growing needs of marketplace segments such as Rich Media. More information on this highly-anticipated technology is planned for release later this year.

LTO format generation 5 drives are designed with backwards-compatible read-and-write capability with Ultrium format generation 4 cartridges, and backward read capabilities with generation 3 cartridges, helping to protect investments and ease implementation.

How to License LTO Ultrium Technology
The LTO Program has historically offered several different license packages – from enhanced packages that provide the specifications and licenses to manufacture products based on the LTO format, to basic packages providing LTO format specifications.

Comments

It's a great idea for the LTO consortium to reassure the storage community with two coming steps, LTO-7 and-8, as the former roadmap was stopped at next LTO-6.

First, remark that there is no date for the arrival of the upcoming LTO-6, -7 and -8. Normally, it's two years from one generation to the other. But for LTO-5, it was three years.

Secondly, capacity is supposed to double for next generation, but it has to be demonstrated. LTO-5 was finally at 1.5TB, not 1.6TB if you compare with LTO-4 (800MB). That's the same for the transfer rate: 100% more between LTO-1 and -2, 100% between LTO-2 and -3, then down to 50% between LTO-3 and -4, and only 17% between LTO-4 and -5. Wait to be sure that it will be 50% between LTO-5 and -6, and the same percentage for LTO-7 and then LTO-8.

Thirdly, we don't know which technologies (heads and media) are going to be used. But note that IBM researchers had demonstrated in January 2010 the ability to store 29.5 billion bits per square inch of data tape using the linear recording format based on Fujifilm Nanocubic technology incorporating BaFe particles, a step toward the potential of realizing a single tape cartridge capable of holding 35TB.

Fourthly, the is no word of the compatibility between current LTO and the next ones. Normally it's R/W compatibility with the former version and read only with the two former generations. As tape is more and more considered as an archiving rather than a backup media, it means that users are obliged to migrate their data each four or five years. That's about the same period needed for hard disk drives. Five years is a very short period for archives and the roll media have to be verified regularly, around each two to three years.

Continuing to make a comparison with HDDs, some problems of LTO will probably continue. The capacity is not growing fast enough. Today's LTO-5 is at native 1.5TB, HDD currently at 2TB. Prices of the tape drives and media are too expansive and their volume is less and less appropriated with smallest form factor already on the storage market. And for archiving, we don't agree with tape vendors that LTO is more reliable than disk (much more mechanics in the tape device, cartridges and drives not totally protected from the environment). And finally tape units use more power than HDDs, have good transfer rate but ridiculous access time.

You will think I'm not a big fan of tape. It's true and I never was.