IBM Announces Upcoming LTO-10 Tape Integration, Drive and Media

IBM Corp. has announced support for IBM LTO-10 full height tape drives on Diamondback, and TS4500 tape libraries and new LTO-10 tape media.

IBM LTO-10 full height tape drive 

Diamondback Tape Library supports IBM LTO 10 tape drive technology

The IBM LTO-10 tape drives on Diamondback are designed for the heavy demands of backup and archive tape storage and can help improve data center economics. The number of tape drives, cartridges, and associated floor space may be reduced with LTO-10 tape drives, delivering a greater capacity as compared to LTO-9 tape drive.

IBM LTO-10 features help improve performance and reliability:

• Native data transfer rate of up to 400MB for full-height (FH) tape drives
• LTO Gen 10 media specification tape cartridge compressed capacity of up to 75TB (30TB native)
• 32Gb FC dual-ported drive attachment on feature #AGH4
• 12Gb dual-ported SAS attachment on feature #AGH6
• A 1GB internal buffer
• LTO-10 introduces a significantly advanced head guide assembly providing an enhanced Tape Dimensional Stability
• Support for media partitioning and self-describing tape with IBM Storage Archive Enterprise Edition
• LTO-10 hardware-based encryption support using quantum safe AES/GCM256 symmetric keys and is post quantum cryptography key exchange ready
• Open Recommended Access Order (oRAO) allowing any compatible applications to retrieve content stored on the tape in a more efficient way
• Support for new and field merge IBM LTO-10 drives into 488x model L9A
• LTO-10 cartridge capacity of up to 46.4PB/library (up to 116.1PB with 2.5 to 1 compression)

The IBM LTO-10 tape drives are designed to be installed in an Diamondback tape library to deliver high capacity and performance for midrange to hyperscale open-systems environments. New features #AGH4 and #AGH6 incorporate LTO-10 tape drives with enhanced maximum throughput, delivering a native data transfer of up to 400MB for FH tape drives.

Due to its new advanced head guide assembly, the IBM LTO-10 tape drive eliminates the need for media optimization and archive unthread seen in LTO-9.

To enhance performance of the Tape library, LTO tape drives include speed matching, channel calibration, and power management. Speed matching dynamically adjusts the drive’s native (uncompressed) data rate to the slower data rate of a server. Channel calibration customizes each RW data channel for optimum performance. The customization enables compensation for variations in the recording channel transfer function, media characteristics, and read/write head characteristics. Power management reduces the drive’s power consumption during idle power periods.

IBM LTO-10 tape drives support the LTO Gen 10 media specification with a 66% increase of the compressed capacity of up to 75TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 30 TB native capacity) as compared to previous LTO 9 compressed capacity of up to 45 TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 18 TB native capacity) per tape cartridge.

To ensure that LTO-10 tape drives conform to IBM specifications for reliability, use only IBM LTO tape cartridges. Other LTO-certified data cartridges can be used, but they might not meet IBM standards of reliability.

Planned availability date: 13 June 2025

IBM TS4500 Tape Library supports IBM LTO-10 tape drive technology

IBM LTO-10 tape drive model FAC is designed to be installed in a TS4500 tape library to deliver high capacity and performance for midrange to hyperscale open-systems environments. This model incorporates LTO-10 tape drive with enhanced maximum tape drive throughput, delivering a native data transfer of up to 400 MB/s for FH tape drives.

IBM LTO-10 tape drives support the LTO Gen10 media specification with a 66% increase of the compressed capacity of up to 75TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 30TB native capacity) as compared to previous LTO-9 compressed capacity of up to 45TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 18TB native capacity) per tape cartridge.

Due to its new advanced head guide assembly, the company’s LTO-10 tape drive eliminates the need for media optimization and archive unthread seen in LTO-9.

Key requirements
Appropriate levels of host and drive software are required to attach LTO-10 model FAC to a wide range of environments, including select IBM Power Systems and other servers running Linux and Microsoft Windows operating system environments that support Fibre Channel interfaces.

Prerequisites for using encryption
Certain hardware and software prerequisites must be met before using encryption with TS4500 tape libraries.

With TS4500 tape libraries, encryption is managed at the logical library level. All encryption-enabled drives that are assigned to a logical library use the same method of encryption. The rules for setting up encryption differ based on whether you use library-managed encryption (LME) or application-managed encryption (AME). The following prerequisites apply:

• Tape drives must be enabled for encryption from the logical libraries page of the TS4500 management GUI
• Feature number 1604, LTO Library Managed Encryption, is required for LTO tape drives if using LME
• IBM Guardium Key Lifecycle Manager is required as the key manager when using LME with LTO

Planned availability date: 13 June 2025

IBM LTO-10 data cartridge models 554 and 654

IBM 3589 Ultrium tape cartridges provide the ability to order Ultrium 10 30TB data cartridges with the following features:

• Color-coding and pre-labeling with the ability to specify a starting volume serial to help save time and labor when adding new cartridges into existing inventory
• Individual jewel cases or bulk packaging
• Cartridge memory built into every data cartridge to help enhance functionality and media reliability by storing access history and media performance information for use by the tape drive every time the cartridge is accessed
• Half-inch particle tape with 30TB native capacity in a single cartridge

IBM Ultrium 10 30TB data cartridges deliver flexibility in the specification and ordering of prelabeled and bulk packaged data cartridges for the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Ultrium family of products. Shipping with or without jewel cases can also be specified when prelabeled cartridges are ordered.

Ultrium tape format is the implementation of LTO technology that is designed to provide high capacity and performance with exceptional reliability in either a stand-alone or automated environment. It uses a single-reel cartridge and is ideal for large volume backup, restore, and archive applications.

New models of 3589 are available to be ordered with Ultrium 10 30TB data cartridges. The Ultrium 10 30TB LTO format delivers tape cartridge capacities of up to 30TB native physical capacity (75TB with 2.5 to 1 compression). These cartridges can be used in IBM LTO Ultrium 10 tape drives, the 10 Gen LTO Ultrium tape drive in the firm’s LTO Ultrium family of products.

An Ultrium LTO-10 5-pack plain data cartridge option is also available. This product is only for use with Ultrium 10 tape drives.

Planned availability date : 27 June 2025

Resources:
IBM LTO-10 tape drive DS
IBM Diamondback Tape Library supports IBM LTO 10 tape drive technology    
IBM TS4500 Tape Library supports IBM LTO 10 tape drive technology    
IBM LTO 10 Data Cartridge models 554 and 654