Which LTO drive generations can read and write which LTO tape generations. Tape generation is set by the media/format used when the cartridge was written, not by the vendor of the drive.
Rows are the drive doing the reading/writing today. Columns are the tape generation the cartridge was originally written as. Hover a row or cell to trace it.
| Drive ↓ / Tape → | LTO-1 | LTO-2 | LTO-3 | LTO-4 | LTO-5 | LTO-6 | LTO-7 | LTO-8 | LTO-9 | LTO-10 |
|---|
The read‑2‑back / write‑1‑back rule held from LTO‑1 through LTO‑7. It narrows sharply from LTO‑8 onward.
Native and compressed capacity assumes a 2:1 ratio through LTO‑5 and 2.5:1 from LTO‑6 onward. Years and speeds are approximate/vendor-reported.
| Generation | Release | Native capacity | Compressed capacity | Native transfer rate |
|---|
The HP StoreEver Ultrium 6650 LTO 6 External Tape Drive represents six-generations of LTO technology capable of storing up to 6.25 TB per cartridge, with HP TapeAssure for manageability, hardware data encryption, HP StoreOpen with LTFS for ease of use at an unprecedented performance.
Our full 1-year warranty gives you peace of mind that your tape drive will keep on working long after installation and continue to give reliable service.
To Download a stock list of our refurbished tape drives, please click Here
or use the button below.
For customers requiring an HP EH964A repair solution, we offer a full in house LTO repair service carried out by our HP trained engineers. All our repairs carry a full 12 month warranty to give you peace of mind.
We regularly stock refurbished HP EH964A LTO 6 External tape drives as well as a vast range of other refurbished external LTO drives. All our refurbished HP EH964A LTO 6 External tape drive 's carry a full 12 month warranty for your peace of mind.
With HP TapeAssure customers can be confident that their data is safe by monitoring drive and media utilization, operational performance and life/health information for drive and media.
Data hardware encryption using AES 256-bit provides easy-to-enable security to protect the most sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access of tape cartridges. Linear Tape File System (LTFS) is an open format for storing data on tape that makes LTO-5 and 6 tapes self-describing and file-based.
Capable of data transfer rates up to 400 MB/sec, HP’s exclusive Data Rate Matching further optimizes performance by matching host system speed to keep drives streaming, thus enabling the fastest tape performance.
The Ultrium 6650 LTO 6 External tape drive provides investment protection with full read and write backward support with LTO-5 media, and the ability to read LTO-4 cartridges. By more than doubling the compressed capacity of previous generation Ultrium drives, Hewlett Packard Enterprise customers now require fewer data cartridges to meet their storage needs, significantly reducing their IT costs and increasing their ROI.
| Product Description | HP Ultrium 6650 SAS LTO 6 External Tape Drive |
| Device Type | Tape Drive |
| Form Factor | 5.25-inch full-height |
| Recording Technology | LTO-6 Ultrium 6650 |
| Capacity | 6.25TB; Compressed 2.5:1 |
| Transfer rate | 1.45 TB/hr; Compressed 2.5:1 |
| Buffer size | 512MB |
| Host Interface | 6 Gb/sec SAS |
| Encryption capability | AES 256-bit |
| WORM capability | Yes |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 29.7 x 12.1 x 21.8 cm |
| Weight | 10.9 Kg |
HPE LTO-6 Ultrium 6650 Ext SAS Tape Drive
| General | |
|---|---|
| Width | 21.8 cm |
| Depth | 29.7 cm |
| Height | 12 cm |
| Weight | 5.57 kg |
| Device Type | LTO 6 External Tape drive - Ultrium |
| Enclosure Type | LTO 6 External Tape Drive |
| Interface Type | SAS-2 |
| Recording Standard | LTO Ultrium 6 |
| Key Features | Encryption |
| Expansion / Connectivity | |
| Interfaces | 1 x SAS-2 - 26 pin 4x Shielded Mini MultiLane SAS (SFF-8088) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Compliant Standards | TUV, VCCI, C-Tick, BSMI, EN 60950, NOM, RRL, IEC 60950, CSA 22.2 No. 60950, CB, RoHS, FCC CFR47 Part 15, cCSAus |
| Cables Included | 1 x SAS cable |
| Media Included Qty | 1 |
| Included Accessories | Cleaning cartridge |
| MTBF | 250,000 hour(s) |
| Software / System Requirements | |
| Software Included | HP Library and Tape Tools |
| Environmental Parameters | |
| Min Operating Temperature | 10 °C |
| Max Operating Temperature | 35 °C |
| Humidity Range Operating | 20 - 80% (non-condensing) |
| Storage Removable | |
| Type | LTO Ultrium |
| Buffer Size | 512 MB |
| Capacity | 2.5 TB (native) / 6.25 TB (compressed) |
| Average Seek / Access Time | 50 sec |
| Recording Standard | Ultrium 5, Ultrium 6 |
| Data Transfer Rate (native) | 160 MBps (576 GBph) |
| Data Transfer Rate (compressed) | 400 MBps (1440 GBph) |
| Supported Tape Cartridges (Read and Write) | Ultrium 6, Ultrium 5 |

To provide you with the best possible service and to minimise you or your customers down time, we ship all stock refurbished tape drives on the same day.

Our factory trained engineers use a mixture of manufacturer diagnostic tests and functional backups to rigorously test all refurbished tape drives and tape libraries prior to dispatch.

We offer up to a Full 6-Month Warranty on most stand alone tape drives as standard and 6 months on library drives and autoloaders

Maximise ROI by sourcing refurbished tape drives and libraries. Ensuring you get the most from your hardware investment.
Need some help choosing a backup solution or strategy? Our experienced team can work with you to design a full backup solution tailored to your needs. We are experienced in tape, disk and online storage and can help you secure your valuable data.
Looking for an obscure library drive or other part? Our staff have access to inventory all over the world and can quickly locate those parts for you.
Need a part in London today? We are located just 40 miles from London in the middle of the M3/M4 corridor. Our same day courier can deliver your refurbished tape drive within just hours of your call.
If you are looking to upgrade your backup solution, an LTO drive might be the answer. We have refurbished LTO drives available in LTO1, LTO2, LTO3, LTO4 , LTO5 and LTO6 formats and stock both full height and half height variants.
Is your LTO from a library? We have many library ready LTO drives on the shelf ready to ship and of course we offer a 24 hour repair service for those occasions where you need your own drive repaired and returned in the fastest possible time.
We have many LTO drives in stock from LTO1, LTO2 and LTO3 right through LTO4, LTO5 and LTO6
Tape drive repair .com stock all formats of tape drive. From AIT drives and DAT drives to LTO drives and SDLT drives we cater for all manufacturers and capacities.
Checkout the menu above for details of our other tape drive related services.
Just call us now on 0118 957 3131 and talk to our team who can help you find the correct drive at the right price.
To Download a stock list of our refurbished tape drives, please click Here
or use the button below.
Dirty and faulty media is one of the leading causes of premature tape drive failure.
Replace your media now, at the same time as replacing or upgrading your tape drive.

Here is what Quantum had to say about their first LTO2 drive
Certance CL 400 LTO-2 tape solutions leverage LTO technology and Certance-exclusive features to provide the most reliable and affordable tape data protection to medium and large businesses. The latest in an LTO roadmap extending through 2010 and backed by industry leaders, the CL 400 balances price with increased capacity and performance.
All Certance LTO tape drive solutions include fully-licensed BakBone NetVault WorkGroup Edition ($1,195 value) that runs on Windows, Linux and Unix, support up to (5) heterogeneous clients and provides up to 100 GB of disk-to-disk-to-tape capacity.

Here is what Certance had to say about their first LTO drive
The Certance LTO Ultrium 1 has been molded by the Ultrium format of LTO technology and perfected by the engineers at Certance to provide the ultimate in high capacity, high reliability data protection. No other tape products perform like the Certance LTO Ultrium 1 family of tape products.
All Certance LTO tape drive solutions include fully-licensed BakBone NetVault WorkGroup Edition ($1,195 value) that runs on Windows, Linux and Unix, support up to 5 heterogeneous clients and provides up to 100 GB of disk-to-disk-to-tape capacity.
Welcome back to another exciting round of my computer and technology news and information. Enjoy and share!
Top Five Hot Data Storage Trends http://buff.ly/1mwh8v6
Cloud Storage for Business: Pros and Cons http://buff.ly/NeArZL
The future of storage is software-defined
I am so excited to be here once again and share with you the newest bits of information from the computer and technology field. Enjoy reading!
Amazon Launches Flash-based Cloud Data Warehousing Option http://buff.ly/1fjmm6P
“123456″ Replaces “Password” on Annual “Worst Passwords” List http://buff.ly/1fjolYT [is your data secure?]
“Remote and telecommuting workers present unique risks and challenges for data security.”http://buff.ly/1b8Kc4D
Do I need an IT disaster-recovery plan? http://buff.ly/NezSiE [think about your data folks!]
Think Today’s Data Is Big? Wait 10 Years http://buff.ly/NeAgxq [interesting!]
That’s it for now. Hope to see you all again next week. Have a lovely weekend!
Photo by: Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Hello there everyone! I am once again bringing you some interesting news and articles from the world of technology.
Electronic patient data a boon http://buff.ly/1fjk3k9 {we work with medical practitioners with data storage needs]
“stored data is growing at 35% per year… requires IT departments to double their storage capacity every 24-30 mths” http://buff.ly/1b8G5Fy
Cloud Computing: Risk vs. Reward http://buff.ly/1fjlD5H
How SMBs can make the most out of storage solutions http://buff.ly/1fjlS0v [we can help]
Where to Start with Data Storage Research http://buff.ly/1b8GBU9 [give us a call!]
And that’s it for this week! Hope you all have a lovely weekend. See you soon!
Photo by: renjith krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Here’s what’s going around in the world of technology right now. Enjoy!
Those who forget past tech are doomed to be hacked http://buff.ly/1jE1xES
“Small & medium-sized businesses are facing a very similar struggle – affordable, reliable & intuitive data storage” http://buff.ly/1b8DICE
Facebook Is Putting The Data People Don’t Look At Often On 10000 Blu-Ray Discs http://buff.ly/1b8DUlh [wow!]
Data Storage QoS: Still Emerging, But Inevitable http://buff.ly/1fjiWRD
What SMBs should look for in a data storage solution http://buff.ly/1fjj5Ey [we can help!]
On premise still seen as far safer than cloud for data storage… http://buff.ly/1fjjmHM
There you have it! Until my next round up post.
Photo by: Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Welcome to my another week of what’s happening in the computers and technology world. Enjoy reading!
Data Storage Technologies to Watch in 2014 http://buff.ly/1jDZBfw [interesting]
Why RAID might not be enough to protect your data http://buff.ly/1jDZSPy [Bitrot info]
The future of storage: disk-based or just discombobulated? http://buff.ly/1jE06pX [what do you think?]
“insight on four questions a business should consider for their storage needs” http://buff.ly/1g3Zz2s
“insight on four questions a business should consider for their storage needs” http://buff.ly/1g3Zz2s
Thank you everyone for joining me this week. I’ll see you soon!
Photo by: Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net