What is LTO partitioning?

LTO Partitioning and the new Linear Tape File System allow LTO Ultirum 5 to function like a hard drive. (Notice, I didn't say it's as fast as a hard drive, I said it functions as one.)

By partitioning the tape, it allows one partition to hold the index, which tells the drive exactly where a file is located. The second partition holds the content.



This is much faster than the old way, in which a drive slowly sorts through all the files until it finds the right one.

Files on an LTO Ultrium 5 can be accessed by PC in much the same way the PC can access a hard drive. The LTO 5 tapes would have the same file structure / directory trees as a hard drive.

The specification (pdf) for the new Linear Tape File System, which defines an extension to the operating system, can be downloaded from the Ultium LTO Web site.

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