Tandberg Data unveils LTO Ultrium 2 tape drive

Tandberg Data launched a compact LTO Ultrium 2 tape drive. The 420LTO has a capacity of up to 400 GB and transfer rate of up to 48 MB/s inside a space-saving 5" design. It is designed, developed and manufactured by its associate company, Tandberg Storage. Tandberg Storage, a license holder of the LTO Consortium is licensed to develop and manufacture LTO tape drives. 

The new drive has passed the LTO Consortium´s compliance verification process and is fully compatible with all other LTO2 drives and media. The 420LTO also offers backward read/write compatibility to LTO1, providing LTO users an upgrade path to ensure investment protection.

The tape drive is the first generation of Tandberg´s planned five generation roadmap of low cost half-height LTO technology. It offers users backward compatibility and scalability up to 3.2 terabyte compressed in a single LTO cartridge. 

The 420LTO is designed to meet the increasing demand for fast backup and file restore with its Automatic Variable Transfer Rate and Fast File Find features. The drive also features an Ultra 320 SCSI LVD interface. Engineered and designed with quality in mind, the drive´s low power consumption reduces total cost of ownership and the risk of failure and defects due to over-heated components. Airflow in the drive is directed away from the read/write head and tape path to protect against dust and debris and eliminates the need for a fan. Additionally, an embedded Media Management feature constantly monitors the quality of the media and tape drive and warns the operator via the application software before problems occur. 

The drive also has a head cleaning function where a head brush is automatically enabled when the drive detects a need for cleaning. Integrated self-test and problem monitoring features reduce downtime if errors should occur. A 'Smart Gripper' locks the media lead-pin to ensure positive tape loading into the drive. At a compact 8.4" in depth and 1.6" high, the 420LTO installs easily in all major servers and workstations.

The drive comes as a bare drive and as internal and external kits including SCSI cable, terminator, documentation and backup application software. Tandberg Data is also integrating the 420LTO into its 1U
StorageLoader, offering up to 3.2 terabyte compressed capacity. 

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