Linear Tape Open Ultrium

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What Does Linear Tape Open Ultrium Mean?

Linear Tape Open Ultrium (LTO Ultrium) is a single-reel, open-format magnetic tape technology that provides ultra-high capacity backup, restore and archive capabilities. LTO storage technology was developed through a joint effort by Hewlett Packard, IBM and Quantum in 1997. LTO Ultrium emerged in 2000 for users that require high-capacity backup, restore and archiving capabilities.

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LTO Ultrium drives are used extensively in both small and large storage environments.

Techopedia Explains Linear Tape Open Ultrium

LTO Ultrium has evolved as a premiere line of backup devices. The Ultrium drives are the preferred storage format when capacity is the key criteria. The LTO Ultrium tape drives have existed through several generations of updates.

Potential advantages of LTO Ultrium include:

  • Provides superior performance and capacity
  • Offers high data streaming rates
  • Provides multiple product and media sources
  • Offers compatibility and interoperability between multiple products from various vendors
  • Improved total cost of ownership
  • Offline data security

LTO Ultrium’s fifth-generation version supports up to 3 TB of capacity and offers a wide variety of features, including partitioning, better file control and storage management. The LTO technology road map aims to extend through eight generations, supporting a capacity of up to 32 TB per cartridge.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.