External Tape Backup

IBM External Tape Drives – LTO, SLR, MLR, QIC, DAT, VXA & Legacy Solutions

IBM external tape drives and solutions provide proven, air-gapped backup, archiving, and long-term data retention across LTO Ultrium (3580/3581/3582 standalone, TS2900/3572 autoloaders, TS4300/3555 libraries), enterprise 3590/3592, and legacy technologies including 7208 (8mm), 7214, 7226, SLR, MLR, QIC, DAT, and VXA. These standalone, autoloader, and library drives deliver secure offline storage with LTFS file-system access, AES-256 encryption, WORM support, and backward compatibility for IBM Power Systems (AIX, IBM i, Linux, VIOS), x86 servers, and legacy backup software. Ideal for ransomware protection, compliance, disaster recovery, and maintaining older infrastructure.

Features

Massive capacity — up to 45 TB compressed per cartridge (LTO-9); legacy capacities from 2 GB (QIC) to 70 GB (SLR)
Transfer rates from 80 MB/s (LTO-3) to 400 MB/s (LTO-9); legacy SCSI interfaces for older systems
Air-gapped offline protection against ransomware and cyber threats
LTFS support (LTO-5+) for easy drag-and-drop file access
WORM, AES-256 encryption, and partitioning for regulatory compliance
Backward read/write compatibility across LTO generations and legacy media
SCSI, SAS (6/12 Gb), and Fibre Channel interfaces
Standalone half-high/full-high form factor (desktop/rack-mount) plus autoloaders and libraries
Hot-swappable drives, barcode readers, and remote web management
60-day warranty on all drives and components

Product Categories

LTO Ultrium External Drives & Autoloaders (3580/3581/3582/3572/3573)

Standalone 3580 (LTO-1 to LTO-9 SAS/FC), TS2900 (3572) 1U autoloader (9 slots), TS3100/TS3200 (3573) 2U/4U autoloaders
Capacities up to 18 TB native / 45 TB compressed (LTO-9)
Ideal for: Direct-attach or small-scale automated backup on Power Systems

TS4300 Tape Libraries (3555 Series)

3U scalable base + expansion modules (L3A/E3A)
Up to 784 slots and 48 drives in full configuration
Ideal for: Midrange growing environments requiring expansion

Enterprise Tape Drives (3590/3592 Series)

3590 (Magstar) and 3592 (TS1120–TS1160) high-capacity enterprise drives
Capacities up to multi-TB native with high throughput
Ideal for: Large-scale data centers and mainframe/Power Systems archive

Legacy Tape Drives (7208, 7214, 7226, SLR, MLR, QIC, DAT, VXA)

7208 (8mm helical scan), 7214 (multi-media), 7226 (media/library), SLR (SLR-100/140), MLR (MLR3), QIC (QIC-2GB/20), DAT (DDS), VXA (Exabyte)
Capacities from 2 GB (QIC) to 70 GB (SLR)
Ideal for: Maintaining vintage IBM i/AIX systems and media recovery

Technical Specifications (Overview)

Category | Interface | Max Capacity | Transfer Rate | Form Factor | Target Use Case
LTO Standalone (3580) | SAS/FC | 18 TB native / 45 TB compressed (LTO-9) | Up to 400 MB/s | Half-high/full-high external | Direct-attach backup
Autoloaders (3572/3573) | SAS | Up to 864 TB (compressed) | Up to 400 MB/s | 1U/2U/4U | Small automated backup
TS4300 Library (3555) | SAS/FC | Up to 14 PB (compressed) | Up to 400 MB/s per drive | 3U scalable | Midrange archive
Enterprise (3590/3592) | SCSI/FC | Multi-TB native | High throughput | Rack/external | Large-scale enterprise
Legacy (7208/7214/7226/SLR/MLR/QIC/DAT/VXA) | SCSI | 2 GB – 70 GB native | 2–20 MB/s | Internal/external | Vintage system maintenance

Compatibility

Fully compatible with IBM Power Systems running AIX (7.1+), IBM i (v3r6+), Linux, or VIOS (legacy models with older OS levels):

Advanced SYS36-era: 9402-236, 9402-436
AS/400-era: 9406-825, 9406-820, 9406-810, 9406-800, 9406-270, 9406-170, 9406-720
Power5-era: Power5 (9405-520, 9406-520, 9406-525, 9407-515)
Power6-era: Power 520 (8203-E4A) Power 550 (8204-E8A)
Power7-era: Power 720 (8202-E4B/E4C/E4D) Power 740 (8205-E6B/E6C/E6D)
Power8-era: S814 (8286-41A), S824 (8286-42A), E870/E880 (9119-MHE/MME)
Power9-era: S914 (9009-41A), S922 (9009-22A), S924 (9009-42A), E950/E980
Power10-era: S1022/S1024, E1080 (9080-HEX), and later models
Legacy models (7208/7214/7226/SLR/MLR/QIC/DAT/VXA) supported on Power6/Power7 and earlier
Supports SAS (6/12 Gb), SCSI, and Fibre Channel attachments via compatible HBAs
Integration with IBM Spectrum Protect, Veeam, Commvault, and legacy backup software (Backward read/write compatibility per LTO and legacy standards; consult IBM documentation for exact drive firmware, media compatibility, and OS levels.)