Linear Tape-Open
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Linear Tape-Open (LTO), also known as the LTO Ultrium format, is a magnetic tape data storage technology used for backup, data archiving, and data transfer. It was originally developed in the late 1990s as an open standards alternative to the proprietary magnetic tape formats that were available at the time. Upon introduction, LTO rapidly defined the super tape market segment and has consistently been the best-selling super tape format. The latest generation as of 2021, LTO-9, can hold 18 TB in one cartridge.
A 400 GB LTO-3 cassette by Sony
An LTO-2 mechanism, from IBM. This SCSI drive fits in a 5.25 inch, Full-Height drive bay.
LTO-2 cartridge with the top shell removed, showing the internal components. Top right corner: tape access gate. Bottom left corner: write-protect-tab. Bottom right corner: cartridge memory chip
LTO-3 cartridge with the top shell removed, showing the internal components. Top right corner: write-protect-tab. Bottom left corner: cartridge memory chip. Bottom: tape access gate.
Magnetic-tape data storage
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Magnetic-tape data storage is a system for storing digital information on magnetic tape using digital recording.
10+1⁄2-inch (270 mm) diameter reel of 9-track tape
Quarter-inch cartridges
An IBM 3590 data cartridge can hold up to 10GiB uncompressed.
IBM 729V