HP StoreEver Ultrium Tape Drives - Manual (Page 4)

1 Introduction
This guide provides information about HP StoreOpen Standalone software, which is an
implementation to aid the use of the Linear Tape File System (LTFS). LTFS makes tape self-describing,
file-based, and easy-to-use, and allow users to use standard file operations on tape media to access,
manage and share files with an interface that behaves like a hard disk. In addition, LTFS provides
the ability to share data across platforms, as you would with a USB drive or memory stick.
NOTE: A firmware update may be required. LTFS will check and tell you if your tape drive needs
updating.
Features
•
Allows you to use LTO media as a disk.
•
Based on Open Source LTFS software with Graphical User Interface (GUI) components added
for usability.
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Precompiled application versions provided for supported platforms.
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Source code available for the open source LTFS software.
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Supported on Microsoft Windows.
Benefits
In addition to the wide range of benefits that HP LTO tape drives have to offer, HP LTO-5 and
LTO-6 with Linear Tape File System (LTFS) functionality also deliver:
•
Faster access to data: When a tape is mounted, the files and directories stored on it appear
on your desktop in the same way as a disk directory listing.
•
Simple drag and drop: HP StoreOpen Standalone increases ease of use; simply drag and
drop files to and from the tape.
•
Compatibility across your environment: Tape media written using LTFS is self-describing so
that data retrieval from tape is independent of any hardware or software platforms.
•
Increased data mobility: Easily share content to increase data mobility. Tapes written with HP
StoreOpen Standalone can be exchanged more easily between users working in different
operating systems, using different software and in different locations.
•
A single storage media standard: Unify organization-wide file sharing with HP LTO-5 and
LTO-6. Tapes can move across libraries and vendors with the ease of video cassettes, while
files on tape can be accessed using straightforward drag-and-drop.
Intended usage
HP StoreOpen Standalone presents the contents of the tape as a disk volume. However it is important
to bear in mind that it is not a true disk, and so there are some best practices to follow to ensure
satisfactory performance and a good user experience:
•
HP StoreOpen Standalone is designed to work best in a single-user environment, where only
one user is copying files to or from the tape. Multiple users or processes trying to write or read
at the same time will result in poor performance because of the sequential access nature of
tape.
•
For the same reasons, do not share the tape drive between different systems. A single tape
drive should be connected to a single host bus adapter (HBA).
•
The expected usage model is to transfer large files between systems, by mounting the tape on
one system, writing the files, unmounting, mounting on the second system, and reading the
files. Treating the tape volume as a true random access device (for example frequently reading
4 Introduction