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IBM LTO 6 Data Tape Media

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Welcome to Big Data Supply, Inc. we're your source for all types, brands and capacities of IBM LTO 6 tape drive media, new and refurbished. Whether buying used IBM LTO 6 backup tape in bulk to load up your data center, or just need a handful for your small office we got you covered. Quality refurbished IBM LTO 6 tape media are a great and safe way to get a lot of data storage with major cost savings. You can buy wholesale IBM LTO 6 backup tape for servers. 

We sell IBM LTO 6 tape worldwide, please reach out for delivered pricing, today! 

SOME OF THE NEW & Refurbished   LTO 6 DATA MEDIA TAPES You can buy

We sell most 
LTO-6 TAPE Brands
LTO 6 capacity
Native capacity: 2.5 TB
Compressed capacity : 6.25 TB


LTO Ultrium
Data Tape Media
LTO-2
LTO-3
LTO-4
LTO-5
LTO-6
LTO-7
LTO-8
Not seeing what you're looking for? Contact us for volume discounts and quotes on IBM LTO-6 data tapes, SSD, SaS and SATA hard drives.
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Why Buy IBM LTO 6 tape media from big data supply, inc.?

30 DAY Warranty When You Buy Any IBM LTO 6 Data Tape

Returns of any IBM LTO 6 data tape products will be accepted from the original purchaser for a replacement or full refund provided up to 30 days from the date of original purchase.

All IBM LTO 6 tape media you buy are properly secured for shipment in static bags, trays, bubble bags and/or corrugated slotted boxes where applicable to ensure satisfaction and perfectly good as new working condition.

Big Data Supply, Inc. Guarantees the Best Solutions Throughout the Entire IT Lifecycle.

How to Buy IBM LTO 6 Data Tape

Wondering how to place a bulk order for IBM LTO 6 data tapes? Well, the process is simple.

  1. Contact us. Fill out the form, send us a chat message or give us a call during normal business hours.
  2. Provide important details.
    • Type of IBM LTO 6 data tape you want to buy
    • Suggested brand, model and part number (if needed)
    • Media IBM LTO 6 tape capacity
    • Quantity needed
    • Provide your best contact information
  3. We’ll provide pricing for your review
  4. Your approval and payment
  5. We ship data atpes to any location in the world
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an IBM LTO-6 tape drive?

LTO stands for Linear Tape-Open, which is the name of the tape storage technology developed by IBM, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Seagate, three major players in the data storage industry. The three companies developed the joint tape initiative back in 1997, with the first IBM LTO format specifications, license availability, and technology roadmap being made available in 1998.

The term ‘open’ in IBM LTO stands for ‘open format,’ meaning, users can use the IBM LTO  tape to access different storage media products, as long as they are compatible.

The number six (6) behind the term IBM LTO signifies that it is the sixth generation. IBM LTO Generation 6, or just IBM LTO-6, became available in 2012, offering a maximum native storage capacity of 2.5 TB and maximum compressed capacity of 6.25 TB, up from 1.5 TB and 3 TB, respectively, offered by IBM LTO Generation 5 (LTO-5). 

IBM LTO-6 offers a native data transfer rate of 160 MBps, and the compressed data rate was up to 400 MBps.

IBM LTO-6 is not the latest IBM LTO tape generation available at the moment, with IBM LTO-7 (6 TB native, 15 TB compressed storage, IBM LTO-8 (12 TB native, 30 TB compressed storage,) and IBM LTO-9 (18 TB native, 45 TB compressed storage) became available in 2015, 2017, and 2021, respectively. 

However, IBM LTO-6 remains a popular choice now in 2022 due its great cost-per-gigabyte value.

How long does IBM LTO-6 tape drive last?

Most tape manufacturing companies quote the lifespan of IBM LTO tapes (not necessarily IBM LTO-6 tapes) at about 30 years. 

However, it’s important to consider that the lifespan of an IBM LTO tape is extremely sensitive to storage conditions. This 30-year life expectancy is made by assuming you are using ideal storage conditions as follow:

  • Constant temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 40% relative humidity

Even the slightest deviation of these conditions (i.e., 5-degree Fahrenheit increase or decrease in temperature) can significantly lower the lifespan of the IBM LTO-6 storage. 

We can also measure an IBM LTO-6 tape lifespan in the number of ‘passes.’ 

The term ‘passes’ here refers to the number of times the storage tape can ‘pass’ over the heads before it deteriorates. 

The IBM LTO-6 requires 136 end-to-end passes to fill the tape, with 20,000 end-to-end passes expected tape durability. This means that the IBM LTO-6 tape is safe to use for 20,000 complete reads before it deteriorates.

Again, this number depends on whether the LTO-6 tape is stored in ideal conditions. Even a small amount of dust trapped in the tape drive can drastically reduce the number of safe uses.

How much does IBM LTO-6 data tape hold?

The IBM LTO-6 data tape has a 2.5 TB native cartridge capacity. It has a 2.5:1 data compression rate, allowing up to 6.25 TB of compressed data capacity. IBM LTO-6 offers more than double the capacity (with compression) and a 40% performance boost than its previous generation IBM LTO-5 drives.

This exceptional data storage capacity helps reduce the number of cartridges required to store data, as well as the amount of space, labor, and additional equipment.

 

How much does IBM LTO-6 data tape cost?

With so many different manufacturers and brands offering IBM LTO-6 storage tapes, the price of an IBM LTO-6 tape can vary between different brands. However, there are IBM LTO-6 tapes costing as low as below $22 per tape.

 

Are IBM LTO-6 data tapes still used?

Yes, while IBM LTO-6 is not the latest IBM LTO tape generation available at the moment, IBM LTO-6 remains a popular choice now in 2022 due to its great cost-per-gigabyte value.

IBM LTO-7 (6 TB native, 15 TB compressed storage, IBM LTO-8 (12 TB native, 30 TB compressed storage,) and IBM LTO-9 (18 TB native, 45 TB compressed storage) became available in 2015, 2017, and 2021, respectively, making them newer options than the IBM LTO-6 tape.

However, the IBM LTO-6 tapes offer better overall value and cost-efficiency in most storage tape needs.

 

 

How reliable is IBM LTO-6 tape backup?

IBM LTO-6 tapes, along with other generations of IBM LTO tapes, are actually the most reliable storage solution available, with extremely low bit error rates (BER).

BER is a prediction of faulty bits—in percentage—per total number of written bits. To put things into context, IBM LTO-6’s BER is 100 times higher than Flash SSD, 1,000 times more reliable than Fiber Channel & SAS HDD, and 10,000 times more reliable than standard SATA HDDs.

This means, for an IBM LTO-6 tape, there would be 1 error event in every 200,000 IBM LTO-6 cartridges, compared to 1 error event in every 20 enterprise-grade 6 TB SATA HDDs. 

In fact, the odds of getting an uncorrectable error in an IBM LTO-6 tape is much lower than winning a multi-million dollar lottery.

Not only is an IBM LTO-6 tape reliable, but it is also very durable with an average life expectancy of over 30 years (provided ideal storage conditions.) Compare this to the average lifetime expectancy of standard HDDs of around 3-5 years.

 

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