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Brochure | HP LTO Ultrium Storage Media
Test Description
Full Volume
Green Tape test
A series of full volume write/read operations are conducted using at least 200 new (green) cartridges
using HP and non-HP drives. This test supports customers that use brand new cartridges for each and
every backup and restore operation – e.g. in archival activities.
Full Volume
Life test
Multiple full volume write/read operations are conducted using a single cartridge on HP and non-HP
drives. This test supports sustained product performance for those customers that use the same
cartridge for each and every backup and restore operation.
Servo Pattern test All LTO Ultrium drives rely on a tape servo pattern to accurately position the drive head on the relevant
area of tape. HP engineers have developed a unique servo specication that lists the requirements for all
key servo pattern parameters for HP LTO Ultrium media.
Environmental
Interchange
HP thoroughly checks its storage media for full interchange between multiple tapes on multiple drives in
all the following conditions (R.H. = Relative Humidity):
50°F/10°C and 80% R.H. cold and wet
50°F/10°C and 10% R.H. cold and dry
113°F/45°C and 10% R.H. hot and dry
113°F/45°C and 24% R.H. hot and ambient
84°F/29°C and 80% R.H. hot and wet
Data is continuously written to, and read from the tapes for 24 hours in each environment.
The benet for the user is that the drive and media are robust enough to withstand sustained use in all
conditions, not just in controlled environments such as an IT data center.
Drop testing No loss of function to a data cartridge following a 29.5 inch drop on a concrete oor. 20 data cartridges are
dropped successively on their top and bottom faces, and edges. In separate tests, cartridges are dropped
by themselves, in their library cases and in dierent packaging congurations.
Load/Unload This test uses an automated mechanism cycle of load, grab Leader Pin Assembly (LPA), thread (with
a few meters of tape wound onto a take-up reel), unthread, park LPA, and unload. Each cycle is repeated
a minimum of 20,000 times in three dierent drive orientations – as in dierent vendor tape libraries.
Locate/Rewind/Append This test measures the ability of a section of the tape to withstand repeated stress (i.e. le locate, retrieve
and append operations) in a highly demanding customer environment (84°F/29°C, 80% R.H.). It is repeated
through 2,500 cycles.
Shoeshine test This unique HP test measures the ability of the media to withstand repeated passes over the tape head.
This is particularly relevant to the library environment where media may be frequently loaded or unloaded
by the operating system. Data is written to a short section of tape, the tape is rewound, the data is read
and error rate checked. This ’rewind – read – error check’ procedure is repeated 25,000 times.