B1 | Super DLTtape Media
B Using Data Cartridges
B1
Super DLTtape Media
From the outside, the Super DLTtape I cartridge looks very
similar to the DLTtape IV cartridges. The basic geometry,
write-protect switch, and label space are unchanged from the
DLTtape IV cartridge. This simplifies the integration of
Super DLTtape into existing operating environments and
into automated tape libraries.
The Super DLTtape I cartridge is easy to recognize; it has
a different color (green) than the DLTtape IV cartridge
(charcoal gray) and contains a distinctive pattern molded
into the shell. The Super DLTtape I cartridge has a keying
feature to ensure that it cannot be loaded into previous
generation DLTtape drives.
Both the SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 tape drives feature an
optional backward-read compatibility (BRC) mode. When in
BRC mode, the drives are capable of reading DLTtape IV
tapes with DLT 4000, DLT 7000, DLT 8000, and DLT 1
formats. The Backward-Read Compatibility table below lists
BRC rates for the Super DLTtape drive.
Backward-Read Compatibility
Format
Cartridge Type
Native Capacity (GB)
Native Read Transfer
Rate (MB/second)
SDLT 320
SDLT I
160
16.0
SDLT 220
SDLT I
110
11.0
DLT 8000
DLT IV
40
4.0
DLT 7000
DLT IV
35
3.5
DLT 4000
DLT IV
20
1.5
DLT 1 (Benchmark)
DLT IV
40
3.0
Notes:
• Transfer rates quoted are nominal, measured reading uncompressed data.
• Non-SDLT drives will eject a cartridge written in SDLT 320 format.
• The SDLT 320 can read and write the SDLT 220 format at the native SDLT 220 transfer rate of
11.0 MB/s.