Users Guide

The rst set of tracks is written from near the beginning of the tape to near the end of the tape. The head
then repositions to the next set of tracks for the return pass. This process continues until all tracks are
written and the cartridge is full, or until all data is written.
The cartridge door ( 2 in Figure 85 on page 157) protects the tape from contamination when the cartridge
is out of the drive. The tape is attached to a leader pin ( 3 in Figure 85 on page 157) behind the door.
When the cartridge is inserted into the drive, a threading mechanism pulls the pin (and tape) out of the
cartridge, across the drive head, and onto a non-removable take-up reel. The head can then read or write
data from or to the tape.
The write-protect switch ( 4 in Figure 85 on page 157) prevents data from being written to the tape
cartridge. For more information, see “Write-Protect switch” on page 162.
The label area ( 5 in Figure 85 on page 157) provides a location to place a label. .
The insertion guide ( 6 in Figure 85 on page 157) is a large, notched area that prevents the cartridge from
being inserted incorrectly.
Table 46. Nominal cartridge life: Load/unload cycles
Type Load/Unload Cycles
LTO8 20,000 (20k)
LTO M8 20,000 (20k)
LTO7 20,000 (20k)
LTO6 20,000 (20k)
Cartridge Read/Write compatibility
Table 47. Data cartridge compatibility with LTO tape drive
LTO Tape
Drive
LTO Data Cartridges
LTO 8 LTO M8 LTO 7 LTO 6 LTO 5 LTO 4
LTO8 tape
drive
Read/Write Read/Write Read/Write
LTO7 tape
drive
Read/Write Read/Write Read only
LTO6 tape
drive
Read/Write Read/Write Read only
See “Minimum rmware levels for common library features” on page iii for minimum rmware levels for LTO 8
drives and media.
LTO Type M Cartridge (M8)
The LTO Program introduced a new capability with LTO8 tape drives: the ability to write 9 TB (native) on a
brand new LTO Ultrium 7 cartridge instead of 6 TB (native) as specied by the LTO 7 format. Such a
cartridge is called an LTO 7 initialized LTO Type M cartridge. These LTO Type M cartridges are identiable
by using an automation bar code label that ends with the last 2 characters “M8”.
Table 48. LTO Cartridge Types
Cartridge/Density
type
Bar code label Cartridge
Packaging/
Silkscreen
labeling
Native capacity Tape Drive
compatibility
L8 xxxxxxL8 LTO Ultrium 8 12 TB LTO 8
158 Dell EMC ML3 Tape Library: User's Guide