Posted on 01/26/2010 12:47:20 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
IBM Research has devised technology with FujiFilm to create a 35TB capacity tape, but it will take 3 days to write the data at LTO5 speeds.
The new hyper-capacity half inch tape technology has been successfully read and written at a 29.5bn bits/sq in areal density, which means a tape capacity of 35TB according to the researchers. This is said to be 44 times the 800MB raw density of LTO4 tape. From a technological point of view the gee whiz factor is impressive.
The media is FujiFilm's Nanocubic tape, with an ultra-fine, perpendicularly-oriented barium-ferrite magnetic medium that apparently does not use expensive metal sputtering or evaporation coating methods. IBM has developed new servo control technologies enabling a 25X increase in the number of parallel tracks on half inch tape, with a track width of less than 0.45 micrometers.
There is an ultra-narrow 0.2um data reader head and a data read channel based on a data-dependent noise-predictive, maximum-likelihood (DD-NPML) detection scheme developed at IBM Research in Zurich. IBM Research at Almaden developed a reduced-friction head assembly allowing the use of smoother magnetic tapes and an advanced GMR (Giant Magneto-Resistive) head module incorporating optimised servo readers.
The capacity can be increased to the 100bn bit/sq in level according to the IBM researchers. However, one issue that IBM and FujiFilm do not discuss is the time to read or write 35TB of tape data. Using LTO5's tape transfer speed of 140MB/sec it would take 2.89 days (69.44 hours) to write the full 35TB. To write 35TB in the same time that LTO5 writes its 1.5TB of raw data, that's 2.98 hours, would require the tape speed to increase 23.33 times, and that assumes that read/write heads can process the signals passing to and from .....
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
See #14....
IBM, Fujifilm tape promises 35TB of storage
*******************************EXCERPT**********************************
BM estimated that a tape cartridge using the technologies in the prototype could hold up to 35TB of uncompressed data, about 44 times the capacity of the company's LTO Generation 4 cartridge.
The prototype shows that commercial digital tape products have plenty of room for continued development, IBM argued.
"This tape storage density demonstration represents a step towards developing technologies to achieve tape areal recording densities of 100 billion bits per square inch and beyond. Such technologies will be necessary to keep up with the rapid increase in digital information," said IBM fellow Evangelos Eleftheriou in a statement.
The prototype builds on IBM and Fujifilm research, including a new high-density tape, more accurate servo control technologies, new signal-processing algorithms and low-friction read/write head assemblies.
They will still need 2 of these tapes to contain all the personal pronouns uses in the SOTU show.
Not to worry... It has nothing to do with Red Green’s Duck Tape... I hope
Tape is too slow. I have worked on Apex 1 TB machines and TO3 800 gb. Tape has seen it’s last days.
Nor do I. Though they EOL'ed the product I was working on they bought a competitor's company whose flagship product uses tape. So, I guess tape isn't dead....but I don't have to work with it anymore.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.