LTO-10 is the latest generation of LTO tape. Since it launched, the questions we hear most are about capacity, speed, backward compatibility and the new tape media. Here are the answers, plus a short video that covers the essentials in under two minutes.
How much does LTO-10 hold?
The LTO roadmap forecast 36 TB native for LTO-10. The standard cartridge delivers 30 TB native (75 TB compressed at 2.5:1). Falling short of the roadmap isn’t unusual: LTO-9 was forecast at 24 TB and shipped at 18 TB. Even so, 30 TB is a 67% increase over LTO-9.
Update: a 40 TB native (100 TB compressed) cartridge with aramid base film is now shipping and works in existing drives. Read our 40 TB announcement and Is the 40TB Cartridge Worth the Cost?
How fast is LTO-10?
Full-height drives write at 400 MB/s native, about 1.44 TB per hour. At full speed, a 30 TB cartridge fills in about 21 hours and a 40 TB cartridge in about 28 hours.
Is LTO-10 backward compatible?
No. An LTO-10 drive can’t read or write LTO-9 or any earlier cartridge. To reach higher capacity, both the head technology and the media had to change, and the new generation uses a track format that earlier tapes don’t share.
That’s a break from tradition. Earlier LTO drives could read and write one generation back, and up to LTO-7 they could also read two generations back.
| Drive | Reads and writes | Reads only |
|---|---|---|
| LTO-10 | LTO-10 | — |
| LTO-9 | LTO-9, LTO-8 | — |
| LTO-8 | LTO-8, LTO-7 | — |
| LTO-7 | LTO-7, LTO-6 | LTO-5 |
There is a silver lining. The new track format gives future LTO generations room to grow in density and performance.
What it means for you: to keep reading your existing tapes, keep an LTO-9 or LTO-8 drive alongside your new drive, or plan a migration. Our LTO migration guide covers both options. For rack setups, the SymplyPRO 2U Migrate holds a full-height LTO-9 drive and an LTO-10 drive in one 2U unit.
What else changed from LTO-9?
| LTO-9 | LTO-10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Native capacity | 18 TB | 30 TB (40 TB aramid cartridge) |
| Native transfer rate | 300 MB/s half-height, 400 MB/s full-height | 400 MB/s full-height |
| SymplyPRO drive options | Half-height and full-height | Full-height |
| Tape media | Barium ferrite | Barium ferrite + strontium ferrite |
| Backward compatibility | Reads and writes LTO-8 | None |
| Media optimization | Required once per cartridge | Not required |
What’s the difference between barium ferrite and strontium ferrite?
LTO-7 through LTO-9 media use barium ferrite (BaFe) magnetic particles. LTO-10 media mixes barium ferrite with strontium ferrite (SrFe). Strontium ferrite particles can be made smaller, which helps fit more data on the same length of tape.
Strontium ferrite isn’t new. IBM already uses it in its 3592 JF cartridges for TS1170 enterprise drives, which hold 50 TB native. Now that it’s part of LTO too, it will be interesting to see how closely the IBM TS and LTO roadmaps converge.
Is media optimization still needed?
No. LTO-9 cartridges must be initialized the first time they’re loaded, a process also called media optimization or characterization. It usually takes around 20 minutes per tape, though some cartridges take longer. LTO-10 cartridges are ready to use straight out of the box. Learn more on our LTO-9 Tape Drives page.
Which Symply products support LTO-10?
It’s available across the SymplyPRO range:
- XTF desktop drives (Thunderbolt / USB4, SAS, Ethernet)
- 2U Gen2 rackmount drives
- XTL 40, XTL 80 and MATTERHORN tape libraries
Compare models on our LTO-10 Tape Drives page.
Questions? Email hello@gosymply.com.