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Sony AIT-2
Sony's AIT-2 drive is a high-performance 8mm helical scan drive
offering a native capacity of 50GB and a native transfer rate of
6MB/sec. Important features of the AIT-2 technology include its
Memory In Cartridge (MIC) feature, which stores data on the con-
tents and usage history of the cartridge in a chip that can be read
by a library automation device. It is important to note that, while
AIT-2 is an 8mm technology, it is not compatible with previous
generations of 8mm drives.
Exabyte Mammoth-2
Mammoth-2 is an 8mm helical scan drive from Exabyte that offers
a native capacity of 60GB and a native transfer rate of 12MB/sec-
ond. Mammoth-2 drives offer backward compatibility with previ-
ous generations of Mammoth 8mm drives.
DDS-4
DDS-4 is a high-performance 4mm tape technology. It delivers sig-
nificantly greater capacity (up to 20GB) and transfer rates (up to
2.4MB/s) than previous generations of 4mm drives. However, it is
significantly less capable than larger format systems like DLTtape
systems. DDS-4 is, therefore, primarily used for PC backup. DDS-4
offers the important advantage of being compatible with previous
generations of 4mm DDS technology.
Ultrium
Ultrium is a high-performance half-inch tape technology being
developed by a consortium of leading data processing/data storage
vendors. Ultrium is planned to offer native capacity of 100GB and
native transfer rate of 20MB/sec. While its proposed specifications
are impressive, it is important to note that the Ultrium technology
faces a number of hurdles. First, it is a multi-partner development
DLTtape SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY COMPARED
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