LTO tape storage is ideal for creating data backups and for archiving critical information as they are known for reliability and data retention capability for extended periods. However, like any other storage media, they too can fail or degrade with time and usage. This is a fairly common scenario as they are susceptible to factors, like environment, storage conditions, etc.
Unfavorable environmental conditions and improper storage and handling can result in degradation and damage to magnetic tapes, reducing their life. To increase the life of LTO tape storage, it becomes vital to understand the factors that can adversely impact it and mitigate them. Below, we will discuss some best practices that you can follow to safely keep your LTO tapes for a long time.
Practices to Improve the Life of LTO Tape Cartridges
Below are some practices that can help you improve the life of LTO tape cartridges.
1: Ensure Optimal Environmental Conditions
Extremely high or low temperatures, direct sunlight exposure, high levels of humidity, contaminants or corrosive elements in environment, etc. can seriously impact the LTO tapes, thus reducing their lifespan. Therefore, LTO tape cartridges should be stored in an environment, which is temperature-controlled and free from dust, moisture, and corrosive materials, and away from direct sunlight.
Tabulated below are the optimal environmental conditions for storing and handling LTO tape cartridges:
You should use individual protective cases provided by the magnetic tape manufacturer or the jewel cases to prevent physical distress or damage to the magnetic tapes.
Read More – Environmental specifications for storing LTO tape cartridges
2: Follow a Streamlined Inventory Management System
Inventory management is crucial in maintaining an updated and detailed log of LTO tape cartridges that are in use, in storage, or in transit. Inventory management also allows to identify and locate lost magnetic tapes by retracing previous locations mentioned in the log. A streamlined inventory management system also aids in identifying tapes ready to be used in rotation and for recovery testing or maintenance.
3: Perform Regular Tape Rotation
Employing a tape rotation process is an effective way to maintain tape storage. Tape rotation involves rotation and usage of tape cartridges as per a predefined system and scheme. This prevents overusage of magnetic tapes, thus minimizing wear and tear and reducing the chances of premature tape degradation.
4: Regularly Clean the Tape Cartridges
Regular cleaning of tape cartridges prevent contamination and degradation of the tapes. To clean the magnetic tape cartridges, the tape library administrator must have essential training required for drafting a schedule for cleaning tape cartridges.
5: Perform Recoverability Testing
A tape library and inventory management system should also include a recoverability testing plan. A recoverability test is done to ensure that the data inside the tape is correct and up-to-date. This process involves reading the data on the tape to identify possible data loss signs. This helps in choosing the proper mitigation methods, like writing data to other tapes.
6: Calculate Backup Frequency
You may have varied sources of data that get backed up at different frequencies. Therefore, it is critical to have an organized system, like an automated tape library for calculating frequency at optimal level. This helps ensure data security and prevent unnecessary writes to the tape, thus increasing the tape life.
7: Safe Removal of Tapes from Archival Storage
If a tape cartridge is removed from an archive storage and played on a recorder, then it should be given enough time to adjust to the temperature and other conditions of the recorder environment. This helps prevent rapid temperature change if you’re moving the tape from low temperature storage to high temperature storage or vice-versa. The time required for a magnetic tape to achieve equilibrium after significant temperature changes depends on its width. The table below depicts the acclimation time that should be allowed for a magnetic tape to come to equilibrium.
Wrapping Up
LTO tape cartridges are primarily used for taking long-term data backups. To ensure that tape cartridges last longer, you should always follow proper maintenance and usage practices. Above, we have mentioned some best practices that can help you increase the lifespan of the LTO tapes. However, even after taking proper care, you may face a situation where the tape data becomes inaccessible due to incompatible tape media, unsupported tape backup format, etc. In such a case, you can use an advanced tape data recovery software, like Stellar Data Recovery for Tape to recover data from the tapes. This software supports all LTO tape generations - from LTO – 1 to LTO – 9. It also supports various tape data parsers, such as Veritas Net Backup, Windows NT, CPIO, Tivoli, Tar, etc.
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Magnetic Tape Storage – Should it be Backed Up or Archived?
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