HP StoreEver Ultrium Tape Drives - Manual (Page 4)

1 Introduction
This guide provides information about the HP Linear Tape File System (HP LTFS) Software. HP LTFS
makes tape self-describing, file-based, and easy-to-use and provides users with the ability to use
standard file operations on tape media for accessing, managing and sharing files with an interface
that behaves as a hard disk. In addition, HP 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. HP LTFS will check and tell you if your tape drive
needs updating.
Features
•
Provides all you need to use LTO tape media as a disk
•
Based on Open Source software
•
Precompiled application versions provided for supported platforms
•
Full source code available
•
Supported on Linux and Mac OS X
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 desktop in the same way as a disk directory listing.
•
Simple drag and drop: HP LTFS increases ease of use, simply drag and drop files to and from
the tape.
•
Compatibility across your environment: Tape media written using HP 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 the
HP LTFS application 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
The HP LTFS application 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 therefore there are some best practices to follow to
ensure satisfactory performance and a good user experience.
•
HP LTFS is designed to work best in a single-user environment, where just one user is copying
files to or from the tape. Multiple users or processes trying to write and/or read at the same
time will result in poor performance due to the sequential access nature of tape.
•
For the same reasons, the tape drive should not be shared 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