IBM TS2900 Tape Autoloader With LTO-8 SAS Half-High Tape Drive

IBM TS2900 Tape Autoloader supports LTO Ultrium 8 SAS half-high tape drives

IBM TS2900 Tape Autoloader (machine type 3572) offers reliability, density, and performance for entry-level and compact tape libraries in open system environments at a cost-effective price. It is part of the IBM tape library family of offerings.

It is a rack-mountable or deskside unit that contains a single LTO Ultrium 8 Half-High (HH) SAS tape with a capacity of nine cartridges employing IBM-patented high density slot technology.

With the IBM Ultrium 8 HH SAS Tape Drive, it is designed to support the LTO Generation 8 native data rate performance of up to 300MB/s. It supports LTO Generation 8 media specifications for LTO tape drive technology with a compressed capacity of up to 30TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 12TB native capacity) compared to previous LTO-7 compressed capacity of up to 15TB with 2.5 to 1 compression (up to 6TB native capacity) per tape cartridge.

TS2900 Tape Autoloader Model S8H can also read and write to LTO-7 cartridges. LTO-8 tape drives are encryption-capable and designed to support library-managed encryption.

It comes standard with a bar code reader and a removable magazine to provide nine cartridge slots, including a single I/O station. It has remote management capabilities to enable remote administration of the TS2900 through a web interface. It can be configured to run in sequential (autoloader) or random (library) access mode. Optional features available include rack-mount kits, deskside covers, and additional cartridge magazines.

The TS2900 leverages IBM Spectrum Archive for direct, intuitive, and graphical access to data stored in IBM tape drives and libraries by incorporating the LTFS format standard. LTFS compatibility enables tape-stored data to be accessed as if it were on disk or flash storage.

Spectrum Archive enables users of LTO-8 tape library systems to inventory cartridges and read, write, and search data on any cartridge, allowing writing of metadata and tagging of individual files for easy and fast access to files stored on cartridges

Key prerequisites
Appropriate levels of host software are required to attach the TS2900 Tape Library with LTO-8 to a range of environments, including select IBM Power Systems, IBM System p, IBM Z, and other servers running Linux and Microsoft Windows OS environments with SAS interface support.

Planned availability date: November 10, 2017