Drive performance
If you run applications that are highly dependent on tape-processing speed, take advantage of the
significant performance improvements that are provided by this tape drive.
Table 1. Performance characteristics
Performance Characteristics TS2280 Tape Drive
Native data rate 300 MB/s (with Ultrium 8 media)
Maximum sustained data rate (at maximum compression) 600 MB/s
Burst data rate 600 MB/s
Nominal load-to-ready time 12 seconds
Nominal unload time. 17 seconds
Average rewind time 60 seconds
Note: All sustained data rates depend on the capabilities of the interconnect.
By using the built-in data-compression capability of the tape drive, greater data rates than the native data
transfer rate are achieved. However, the actual throughput is a function of many components, such as the
host system processor, disk data rate, block size, data compression ratio, SAS bus capabilities, and system
or application software.
Cartridge compatibility
The TS2280 uses the IBM LTO Ultrium 12000 GB data cartridge and is compatible with the cartridges of
its predecessor, the IBM Ultrium Tape Drive Generation 7. The drive completes these functions:
v Reads and writes Ultrium 8 cartridges to Ultrium 8 format, including WORM and Data Encryption.
v Reads and writes Ultrium 7 cartridges to Ultrium 7 format, including WORM and Data Encryption.
v Does not read or write Ultrium 6, Ultrium 5, Ultrium 4, Ultrium 3, Ultrium 2, and Ultrium 1 cartridges.
The drive reads tapes that are written by other licensed Ultrium 7, and 8 drives, and writes to tapes that
are read by other licensed Ultrium 7 and 8 drives.
In addition to using the IBM LTO Ultrium Data Cartridge with up to 12000 GB capacity, the drive offers
read/write capability for certified LTO Ultrium 7 and Ultrium 8 tape cartridges.
Speed matching
To improve system performance, the drive uses a technique that is called speed matching to dynamically
adjust its native (uncompressed) data rate to the slower data rate of a server. With speed matching, the
drive operates at different speeds when it is reading or writing the Ultrium 7 or later cartridge format.
Native data rates are shown in the table.
Introduction 3