IBM TS2290, TS2280, TS2270 LTO Ultrium Tape Drives

The family of IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives are external, stand-alone or rack-mountable tape drives that contain an LTO Ultrium 9, 8, or 7, 6, 5 Tape Drive. The drives are designed for the heavy demands of backup tape storage delivering IBM tape reliability and performance at a cost-effective price.

• TS2290 Model H9S incorporates the LTO Ultrium 9 Half-High SAS Tape Drive uses a dual-port 12 Gbps SAS interface for connection.
• TS2280 Model H8S incorporates the LTO Ultrium 8 Half-High SAS Tape Drive uses a dual-port 6 Gbps SAS interface for connection
• TS2270 Model H7S incorporates the LTO Ultrium 7 Half-High SAS Tape Drive uses a dual-port 6 Gbps SAS interface for connection.
• TS2260 Model H6S incorporates the LTO Ultrium 6 Half-High SAS Tape Drive.
• TS2250 Model H5S incorporates the LTO Ultrium 5 Half-High SAS Tape Drive.

The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives are excellent choices if you use tape drives that require larger-capacity or higher-performance tape backup.

Figure 1. TS2290 Tape Drive

The latest LTO Ultrium technology, is the TS2290 Tape Drive that provides up to 45 TB, the TS2280 Tape Drive provides up to 30 TB, and the TS2270 Tape Drive provides up to 15 TB all three tape drives feature 2.5:1 compressed backup storage capacity. With LTO Ultrium 6, the TS2260 Tape Drive provides up to 6.25 TB of 2.5:1 compressed backup storage capacity. With LTO Ultrium 5, the TS2250 Tape Drive provides up to 3 TB of 2:1 compressed backup storage capacity.

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The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives deliver the following features:

• Entry-level tape drives for high capacity, high performance, and high reliability
• Adherence to LTO specifications
• Support for one half-high LTO Ultrium 9 (TS2290), LTO Ultrium 8 (TS2280), or LTO Ultrium 7 (TS2270), or Ultrium 6 (TS2260), or Ultrium 5 (TS2250) SAS Tape Drive
• Native cartridge capacity of up to 18TB (Ultrium 9), 12 TB (Ultrium 8), or 6 TB (Ultrium 7), or up to 2.5 TB (Ultrium 6), or up to 1.5 TB (Ultrium 5)
• Native data transfer rate of up to 300 MB/s (Ultrium 9, 8 or 7), or up to 160 MB/s (Ultrium 6), or up to 140 MB/s (Ultrium 5)
• Mixed media support, including IBM LTO Write Once Read Many (WORM) media
• Remote monitoring of status of the tape drive
• Encryption support in the tape drive to work with Application Managed Encryption
• Optional rack-mount with the shelf to accommodate up to two tape drives side-by-side in a 2U rack space
• A dual-port 12 Gbps SAS attachment on Ultrium 9 and 6 Gbps on Ultrium 8
• Supports connection to Lenovo servers running Microsoft Windows and Linux server operating systems
• Support from an extensive ecosystem of backup software vendors

Figure 2. TS2290 Tape Drive

The following figure shows the TS2270 Tape Drive.

The following figure shows the TS2260 Tape Drive.

The IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives include the following IBM LTO Ultrium features:

• Independent tape loader and threader motors and positive pin retention

  These technologies help improve the reliability of loading and unloading a cartridge and retain the pin, even if tension is dropped. An independent loader motor that is coupled with the positive pin retention causes the tape to thread with a higher level of reliability.

• Graceful dynamic braking

  If there is a power failure, reel motors maintain tension and gradually decelerate instead of stopping abruptly, which helps reduce tape breakage, stretching, or loose tape wraps during a sudden power outage.

• Servo and track layout technology

  There are 6656 data tracks in Ultrium 9 & 8 versus 3584 data tracks in Ultrium 7, or 2176 data tracks in Ultrium 6, or 1280 data tracks in Ultrium 5. The high-bandwidth servo system features a low mass servo to help more effectively track servo bands and improve data throughput with damaged media in less-than-optimal shock and vibration environments.

• Surface Control Guiding Mechanism

  IBM patented Surface Control Guiding Mechanism guides the tape along the tape path in the Ultrium Tape Drives. This method uses the surface of the tape (rather than the edges) to control tape motion. This configuration helps reduce tape damage (especially to the edges of the tape) and tape debris, which comes from the damaged edges and can accumulate in the head area.

• Tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) head technology (LTO Ultrium 9 & 8 tape drives)

  IBM LTO Ultrium 9 & 8 Tape Drives use TMR head technology, which helps achieve increased storage capacity and high data integrity.

• Digital speed matching

  The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives perform dynamic speed matching to adjust the drive's native data rate as closely as possible to the net host data rate (after data compressibility is factored out). This matching helps reduce the number of backhitch repositions and improve throughput performance.

• Robust drive components optimized for automation environments

  To help enhance reliability and prolong the life of the drives, some of the most robust components available are used, such as an all metal clutch, steel ball bearings in the loader, robust leader block design, and a single circuit card.

• Power management

  The power management function of the Ultrium 9, 8 & 7, and 6 Tape Drives controls the drive electronics to be completely turned off or in a low-power mode when the circuit functions are not needed for drive operation.

• Adaptive read equalization

  This equalization automatically compensates for dynamic changes in readback signal response.

• Dynamic amplitude asymmetry compensation

  This compensation dynamically optimizes readback signals for linear readback response from MR read head transducers.

• LTO Data Compression (LTO-DC)

  The Ultrium LTO uses LTO-DC, which is an implementation of a Lempel-Ziv class 1 (LZ-1) data compression algorithm. LTO-DC is an extension of Adaptive Lossless Data Compression (ALDC) and an improvement over previous IBM lossless compression algorithms. IBM patented "Scheme-Swapping" compression looks ahead at incoming data and determines the most efficient storage method (ALDC or pass-through mode) to help optimize data compression and increase data throughput.

• LTO Cartridge Memory (LTO-CM)

  Contained within the LTO Ultrium data cartridge is the LTO-CM, which is a passive, contactless silicon storage device that is physically a part of the cartridge. The LTO-CM holds information about that specific cartridge, the media in the cartridge, and the data on the media. The storage capacity of the Generation 9, 8 & 7, and 6 LTO-CM is 16320 bytes, which is double capacity of Generation 5 LTO-CM 8160 bytes. Communication between the drive and the LTO-CM is via a low-level RF field transmitted by the drive to the cartridge.

• Statistical Analysis and Reporting System (SARS)

  The Ultrium Tape Drive uses SARS to help isolate failures between media and hardware. SARS uses the cartridge performance history that is saved in the CM module and the drive performance history that is kept in the flash EEPROM to help determine the likely cause of failure. SARS causes the drive to request a cleaner tape, mark the media as degraded, and indicate that the hardware is degraded.

• Highly integrated electronics that use IBM engineered copper technology

  This technology reduces the number of components in the drive, helping lower chip temperatures, and reduces power requirements to deliver a more reliable drive. The sixth-generation drive electronics provide error correction of soft errors in the memory arrays in data and control paths.

• Dual-stage head actuator

  The 16-channel actuator (LTO Ultrium 5 and 6) and The 32-channel actuator (LTO Ultrium 9, 8 & 7) provide precision head alignment to help support higher track density and improved data integrity.

• Separate writing of multiple filemarks

  The Ultrium LTO9 is designed to cause any write command of two or more filemarks to cause a separate data set to be written containing all filemarks after the first. This feature helps improve performance if a subsequent append overwrites somewhere after the first filemark.

• Giant Magneto Resistive (GMR) head design (LTO Ultrium 7, or 6, or 5 tape drives)

  IBM LTO Ultrium Tape Drives use GMR head technology with beveled contouring for reducing striction and friction. This head design was demonstrated in enterprise tape products to help minimize contact, edge damage, debris accumulation, and wear on the tape as it moves over the read/write heads.

Figure 5. Rear view of TS2280 & TS2270

The following table lists the LTO Ultrium Tape Drives system specifications.

The following table lists the ordering information for the LTO Ultrium Tape Drive models.

The tape drives models include the following items:

• One SAS Tape Drive
• One universal cleaning cartridge
• Documentation package

Notes:

• The Rack mount kit is not included; it should be ordered with the tape drive, if needed (for ordering information, see the following table). The rack mount kit includes a fixed shelf on which the drive is placed.
• A power cable is not included with the tape drive. A 10A/100-250V, C13 to IEC 320-C14 rack power cable, or a line cord must be ordered with the tape drive (for ordering information, see Power cables).
• The Rack mount kit includes one 10A/100-250V, C13 to IEC 320-C14 Rack Power Cable, and a line cord also can be ordered, if needed (for ordering information, see Power cables).

A SAS cable is required to attach an LTO Ultrium SAS Tape Drive to a SAS host adapter.

The following table lists the supported cable options for the TS2290.

The following table lists the supported cable options for the TS2280 and earlier drives.

* Not supported with the TS2270 LTO 7 tape drive.
** The Y SAS HD cable is used to connect up to two SAS tape drives to a single Mini-SAS HD x4 port on a supported SAS HBA.

LTO Ultrium Tape Drives support the following backward compatibility for the previous generations of tape media:

• LTO 9 Tape Drives can read and write LTO 9 and LTO 8 data cartridges.
• LTO 8 Tape Drives can read and write LTO 8 and LTO 7 data cartridges.
• LTO 7 Tape Drives can read and write LTO 7 and LTO 6 data cartridges, and can read LTO 5 data cartridges.
• LTO Ultrium 6 Tape Drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 6 and Ultrium 5 data cartridges, and can read Ultrium 4 data cartridges.
• LTO Ultrium 5 Tape Drives can read and write LTO Ultrium 5 and Ultrium 4 data cartridges, and can read Ultrium 3 data cartridges.

A 5-Pack of the Ultrium 7, 8 or 9 Data Cartridges includes five unattached loose labels.

The following table lists tape media options that can be ordered for the tape drives.

If the tape drive is ordered with the rack mount kit, it includes one 10A/100-250V, C13 to IEC 320-C14 Rack Power Cable. A line cord also can be ordered, if needed.

If the tape drive is ordered without a rack-mount kit, it does not include a power cable. A line cord or a rack power cable must be ordered with the tape drive.

The part numbers and feature codes to order the power cables (one power cable per tape drive) are listed in the following table.

The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives have the following dimensions and weight (approximate):

• Height: 58 mm (2.3 in.)
• Width: 213 mm (8.4 in.)
• Depth: 332 mm (13.1 in.)
• Weight: 4.3 kg (9.4 lb.)

The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives are supported in the following environment:

• Air temperature:
  • Operating: 10 °C - 38 °C (50 °F - 100 °F)
  • Non-operating: -40 °C - 60 °C (-40 °F - 140 °F)
  • Maximum altitude: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
• Humidity:
  • Operating: 20% - 80%
  • Non-operating: 10% - 90%
• Electrical power:
  • 100 V AC - 240 V AC; 0.48 A - 0.2 A
  • Frequency: 50 Hz / 60 Hz
  • Power consumption: 48 watts

The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives (machine type 6160) have a three-year CRU and onsite limited warranty.

For more information, consult the brochure Lenovo Operational Support Services for Data Centers Services.

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The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives conform to the following regulations:

• FCC: Verified to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules, Class A
• Canada ICES-003, Class A
• European Union Council Directive 2004/108/EC
• EN 55022, Class A
• Australia and New Zealand Class A Statement
• Japan VCCI Class A statement
• People's Republic of China Class A Electronic Emission statement
• Taiwan Class A compliance statement
• Korea KCC Class A statement
• Russia Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Class A Statement

Lenovo provides end-to-end storage compatibility testing to deliver interoperability throughout the network. The LTO Ultrium Tape Drives support attachment to Lenovo servers by using SAS storage connectivity.

Note: End-to-end storage configuration support (including adapters and operating systems) must be verified through the System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC)

Operating systems

For the list of supported operating systems, refer to the IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC)

Note: The LTO tape drives are supported when attached and run from the host operating system, however, in virtualization environments (for example, Hyper-V, KVM, Xen), the tape drives are not supported in the guest operating systems.

ISV backup software compatibility

The Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) indicate support for the LTO Ultrium Tape Drives for the following ISV backup software:

• Acronis Backup Advanced
• Arcserve Backup
• ASG Time Navigator
• CommVault Simpana
• Dell/EMC NetWorker
• Echoleaf Systems Virtual Drive
• Gemalto SafeNet
• HPE/Micro Focus Data Protector
• IBM High Performance Storage System
• IBM RMS
• IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager
• IBM Spectrum Archive Drive Edition
• IBM Spectrum Archive Library Edition
• IBM Spectrum Archive Enterprise Edition
• IBM Spectrum Protect
• Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager
• NetApp Data Storage
• Oracle DIVA
• Oracle OSB
• Oracle SAM-QFS-HSM
• Point Archival Gateway
• Quest NetVault
• Qstar
• Veritas Backup Exec
• Veritas NetBackup
• Veeam Backup and Retention
• Versity Storage Manager

For more information, see the ISV matrix for IBM LTO that is available at this website:
http://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/ORLZ7EMG

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• IBM System Storage Interoperation Center (SSIC)
  http://ibm.com/systems/support/storage/ssic
• IBM Redbooks publication, IBM Tape Library Guide for Open Systems
  http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245946.html?Open