6
Importing and Exporting Media 6-1
6
Importing and Exporting Media
This chapter outlines the basic processes for handling and moving media stored in a
StorageTek SL150 Modular Tape Library. It begins with an overview of basic
precautions and requirements for working with tape media:
■ Using Supported Media
■ Handling Cartridges
■ Labeling Cartridges
■ Inspecting Cartridges.
Then it outlines the basic approaches to importing and exporting media and moving
cartridges within the StorageTek SL150 Modular Tape Library:
■ Loading and Unloading Magazines
■ Importing and Exporting Cartridges Using the Mailslot
■ Moving Tape Cartridges with the SL150 User Interface.
Using Supported Media
The half-height, Linear Tape Open drives in SL150 libraries are designed to read and
write Ultrium cartridges, both standard and WORM (write-once/read-many). Each of
the Ultrium Gen-7 cartridges used in LTO-7 drives holds 6 terabytes (TB) of
uncompressed data. The Gen-6 cartridges used in LTO-6 drives hold 2.5 TB of
uncompressed data, and the Gen-5 cartridges used in LTO-5 drives hold 1.5 TB of
uncompressed data. Data compression can as much as double the storage capacity of a
cartridge. But some data types, such as JPEG imagery and binary files, do not
compress appreciably. So results can vary.
For best capacity and performance, always use cartridges of the same generation as
your drives (Gen-6 cartridges in LTO-6 drives, Gen-7 in LTO-7, etc.). You can, however,
access data on older LTO cartridge formats as well. LTO-7 drives can read and write
Ultrium Generation-6 cartridges (standard and WORM), and they can read Ultrium
Generation-5 media. LTO-6 drives can read and write Ultrium Generation-5 media and
can read Generation-4 media. Remember, however, that using any significant number
of these older media types reduces the overall storage capacity and performance of the
library. Older cartridges hold substantially less data, and current LTO drives have to
access them at the reduced data-transfer rate specified for each older format.
A typical LTO Ultrium cartridge is a plastic box, 10.2 cm by 10.54 cm by 2.15 cm (4 in
by 4.14 in by 0.85 in). There are ribbed, gripping surfaces on the top, bottom, left, and
right sides of the case. There is a pronounced, tapered step at the left, rear corner. A
triangular depression on top of the case points to the back, where the cartridge inserts
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