3 ms·

> Even if LTO-8 tapes are now in stock, you can buy cheap LTO-7, I wonder if this was a typo. Did they mean that LTO-8 tapes are out of stock? Otherwise, the s

by jolmg 7y ago

> Even if LTO-8 tapes are now in stock, you can buy cheap LTO-7, I wonder if this was a typo. Did they mean that LTO-8 tapes are out of stock? Otherwise, the sentence structure "even if ... are now in stock, you can buy ..." is kind of weird. > reformat them to M8 and get 9TB of native storage (22.5TB compressed). What does this mean? Doesn't how much it compresses depend on the data not the storage device?

bengerbil 7y ago
There was a dispute involving LTO-8 that just recently was resolved, so LTO-8 tape should now be available in the US. I wasn't following it closely, so I can't give any real insight, but it explains the wording.
- mycall 7y ago
  3TB for $153. Not impressed. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10502190238469223139 https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10502190238469223139
  - SethTro 7y ago
    I think it's 12TB Google says "HP LTO-8 Ultrium, 30 TB, RW Data Cartridge Tape. Exhaustively tested, HPE LTO Ultrium cartridges meet all your demands for maximum reliability when restoring data, offering high storage density, ease of management and scalable storage and backup performance." TapeandMedia.com says "1 - HPE LTO Ultrium 8 Tape with a capacity of 12 TB and up to 30 TB compressed capacity."
  - jolmg 7y ago
    That says 30TB. Here's a 15TB compressed for $63: https://www.amazon.com/HP-C7977A-Cartridge-Compressed-Capacity/dp/B01NCB4ZZP/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?keywords=lto7+tape&qid=1569376299&s=gateway&sprefix=lto&sr=8-10 https://www.amazon.com/HP-C7977A-Cartridge-Compressed-Capaci...
    - tw04 7y ago
      The tapes and robots are cheap. Drives on the other hand...
      - jolmg 7y ago
        Yeah, they all seem to be between $2,000 and $3,000, and I can't imagine how these things could be much more complicated than a dvd drive, if they aren't simpler.
        dbuder 7y ago
        Open a DVD player then open a VHS player, the dvd does more complicated things on a tech level but VHS player is harder and more expensive to make. Early gen drives are cheap on the second hand market, you can pick up a crummy one for under $100, tape usually included.
        deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
wtallis 7y ago
Until very recently, LTO-8 tapes were not available for purchase due to ongoing patent litigation. LTO-8 drives were readily available, but you couldn't buy the tapes to make the most of those drives. LTO-8 drives can also use blank LTO-7 media to get density halfway between LTO-7 and LTO-8; this is referred to as LTO-7 Type M, or Type M-8. This applies to the raw storage capacity, not just the compressed capacity (which is conventionally referred to with the assumption of a 2.5x compression ratio, even though not all real-world data is compressible).

by jolmg 7y ago

bengerbil 7y ago

There was a dispute involving LTO-8 that just recently was resolved, so LTO-8 tape should now be available in the US. I wasn't following it closely, so I can't give any real insight, but it explains the wording.

mycall 7y ago
3TB for $153. Not impressed. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10502190238469223139 https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10502190238469223139
- SethTro 7y ago
  I think it's 12TB Google says "HP LTO-8 Ultrium, 30 TB, RW Data Cartridge Tape. Exhaustively tested, HPE LTO Ultrium cartridges meet all your demands for maximum reliability when restoring data, offering high storage density, ease of management and scalable storage and backup performance." TapeandMedia.com says "1 - HPE LTO Ultrium 8 Tape with a capacity of 12 TB and up to 30 TB compressed capacity."
- jolmg 7y ago
  That says 30TB. Here's a 15TB compressed for $63: https://www.amazon.com/HP-C7977A-Cartridge-Compressed-Capacity/dp/B01NCB4ZZP/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?keywords=lto7+tape&qid=1569376299&s=gateway&sprefix=lto&sr=8-10 https://www.amazon.com/HP-C7977A-Cartridge-Compressed-Capaci...
  - tw04 7y ago
    The tapes and robots are cheap. Drives on the other hand...
    - jolmg 7y ago
      Yeah, they all seem to be between $2,000 and $3,000, and I can't imagine how these things could be much more complicated than a dvd drive, if they aren't simpler.
      - dbuder 7y ago
        Open a DVD player then open a VHS player, the dvd does more complicated things on a tech level but VHS player is harder and more expensive to make. Early gen drives are cheap on the second hand market, you can pick up a crummy one for under $100, tape usually included.
        deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]

wtallis 7y ago

Until very recently, LTO-8 tapes were not available for purchase due to ongoing patent litigation. LTO-8 drives were readily available, but you couldn't buy the tapes to make the most of those drives. LTO-8 drives can also use blank LTO-7 media to get density halfway between LTO-7 and LTO-8; this is referred to as LTO-7 Type M, or Type M-8. This applies to the raw storage capacity, not just the compressed capacity (which is conventionally referred to with the assumption of a 2.5x compression ratio, even though not all real-world data is compressible).