Spectra Logic Tape Drive Technology
Optimize data management now with Spectra Logic’s versatile LTO and TS technology options
Tape drive technology
Spectra Logic offers LTO and TS tape drive technology to provide versatile, cost-effective, and secure data storage options. With LTO tape drives for scalable data preservation and TS tape drives for high-density storage, you can customize your solutions to meet specific needs, ensuring efficient data management. Drives support LTO and TS11xx media to protect your organization fully.
LTO-10 Press Release:
Spectra Logic Advances Perpetual Archive Strategy with Enterprise-Wide LTO-10 Support
All-new LTO-10 tape technology platform delivers a strategic leap in density, resilience, and sustainability—positioning tape as essential infrastructure for AI-driven data growth and long-term retention
BOULDER, Colo., May 28, 2025 – Spectra Logic®, a global leader in data management and data storage solutions, today announced enterprise-wide support for LTO-10 tape technology across its full portfolio of tape libraries*, including the Spectra® TFinity®, Spectra T950, Spectra Cube™, and Spectra Stack models. LTO-10 introduces a new architectural foundation for tape, delivering 30 terabytes (TB) of native capacity and 400 MB/s transfer speed per cartridge—advancing the Spectra strategic vision to deliver scalable, sustainable, and cyber-resilient perpetual archival infrastructure for long-term data preservation…read more
LTO-10 Webinar
Specifications by drive type
Regardless of size, every organization faces the same fundamental data management challenges: efficiently, cost-effectively, and securely protecting and managing ever-growing data repositories. Spectra tape libraries offer innovative storage solutions that can help organizations of all sizes meet these challenges and more. With a wide range of models to choose from, Spectra tape libraries can scale to meet the needs of even the most demanding data environments.
LTO-10 Technology Drive Specifications |
||
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 30TB (native) | 75TB (2.5:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | LTO-10 |  |
| Backward Compatibility | No | |
| Data Transfer Rate | 400 MB/s (full-height/native) | 1200MB/s (full-height / 3:1 Compression) |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 32GB Fibre Channel and 12 GB SAS | |
| Power Consumption | 40 watts read/write, 27 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
LTO-9 Technology Drive Specifications |
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|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 18TB (native) | 45TB (2.5:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | LTO-8 |  |
| LTO-9 |  |
|
| Backward Compatibility | LTO-8 (read/write) | |
| Data Transfer Rate | 300 MB/s (half-height/native) | 750MB/s (half-height/2.5:1 Compression) |
| 400 MB/s (full-height/native) | 900MB/s (full-height/2.5:1 Compression) | |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 8GB Fibre Channel and 12 GB SAS | |
| Power Consumption | 35 watts read/write, 15 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
LTO-8 Technology Drive Specifications |
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|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 12TB (native) | 30TB (2.5:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | LTO-7 |  |
| LTO-7M | |
|
| LTO-8 | |
|
| Backward Compatibility | LTO-7 (read/write) | |
| Data Transfer Rate | 300 MB/s (half-height/native) | Up to 700 MB/s (2.5:1 Compression) |
| 360 MB/s (full-height/native) | ||
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 8GB/s Fibre Channel (auto-negotiates to 4 Gb/s or 2 Gb/s) | |
| 6 Gb/s SAS (auto-negotiates to 3 Gb/s. Half-Height Drives Only) | ||
| Power Consumption | 35 watts read/write, 15 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
LTO-7 Technology Drive Specifications |
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|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 6TB (native) | 15TB (2.5:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | LTO-5 |  |
| LTO-6 |  |
|
| LTO-7 | |
|
| Backward Compatibility | LTO-6 (read/write) | |
| LTO-5 (read) | ||
| Data Transfer Rate | 300 MB/s (half-height/native) | Up to 700 MB/s (2.5:1compression) |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 8Gb/s Fibre Channel (auto-negotiates to 4Gb/s or 2 Gb/s) | |
| 6 Gb/s SAS (auto-negotiates to 3 Gb/s) | ||
| Power Consumption | 35 watts read/write, 15 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
IBM TS1170 Technology Drive Specifications |
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|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 50TB (native) | 150TB (3:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | 3592 JF media |  |
| Backward Compatibility | No backward compatibility with other TSXX technology | |
| Data Transfer Rate | Up to 400 MB/s (native) | Up to 900 MB/s (3:1 Compression) |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 16 Gb/s Fibre Channel and 12 Gb/s SAS | |
| Power Consumption | 64 watts read/write, 35 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
IBM TS1160 Technology Drive Specifications |
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|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 20TB (native) | 60TB (3:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | 3592 JF media | |
| Backward Compatibility | 3592 JC media TS1140 format – 4.0 TB capacity, 250 MB/s data rate. (Read Only) | |
| 3592 JC media TS1150 format – 7.0 TB capacity, 300 MB/s data rate | ||
| 3592 JD media TS1150 format – 10 TB capacity, 360 MB/s data rate. | ||
| 3592 JD media TS1155 format – 15 TB capacity, 360 MB/s data rate | ||
| Data Transfer Rate | Up to 400 MB/s (native) | Up to 900 MB/s (compressed) |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 16 Gb/s Fibre Channel and 12 Gb/s SAS | |
| Power Consumption | 64 watts read/write, 35 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
IBM TS1155 Technology Drive Specifications |
||
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 15TB (native) | 45TB (3:1 Compression) |
| Data Cartridge | 3592 JD media | |
| Backward Compatibility | 3592 JC media TS1140 format – 4.0 TB capacity, 250 MB/s data rate. (Read Only) | |
| 3592 JC media TS1150 format – 7.0 TB capacity, 300 MB/s data rate. | ||
| 3592 JD media TS1150 format – 10 TB capacity, 360 MB/s data rate. | ||
| Data Transfer Rate | Up to 360 MB/s (native) | Up to 700 MB/s (Compressed) |
| Data Compression | SLDC | |
| Encryption | AES 256-GCM | |
| Interface | 8 Gb/s Fibre Channel | |
| Power Consumption | 54 watts read/write, 19 watts idle | |
| MTBF | 250,000 power on hours at 100% duty cycle | |
Tape drive environmentals
| Environmentas - all LTO drives | all TS11xx drives | |||||
| Mode | Dry-bulb Temperature | Maximum Temperature Rate of Change | Relative Humidity | Maximum Humidity Rate of Change | Altitude (max) |
| (non-condensing) | |||||
| Allowable | 16°C to 32°C (60°F to 90°F) | 5°C per hour | 20% to 80% | 5% per hour with no condensation | 3048 m (10,000 ft) |
| Environment | 9°F per hour | 22°C dew point max | |||
| Recommended | 16°C to 25°C (60°F to 77°F) | 5°C per hour | 20% to 50% | 5% per hour with no condensation | 3048 m (10,000 ft) |
| Environment | 9°F per hour | 22°C dew point max | |||
The LTO Roadmap
The current LTO technology roadmap is valid through May 27, 2025. An updated roadmap reflecting the next generation of LTO advancements will be published following the official industry announcement on that date. Stay informed for the latest in scalable tape storage innovation.
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