Magnetic tape storage
Sequential storage on linear magnetic tape in removable cartridges, used mainly for backup and cold archive.
Magnetic tape records data on flexible oxide-coated ribbon in cartridges or reels, streamed past a helical or linear head assembly. Access is sequential: locating a file means winding to the right position, so latency is high relative to disk, but streaming bandwidth, removable media, and offline (“air gap”) custody suit backup and long-term archive. In modern enterprise practice, LTO Ultrium is the dominant open interchange format; proprietary enterprise libraries also exist historically. Tape complements always-online nearline HDD and object tiers rather than replacing random-access primary storage. Cost models emphasize media $/TB and energy when cartridges sit on shelves, not spindle power.
Relations
- related
- lto, hot-warm-cold
Advantages
- Low cost per stored terabyte and offline portability for air-gapped copies.
Limitations
- Random access is poor compared to disk or flash.