Tape storage is a technology that has been around for decades and continues to play an important role in data centers around the world. But with the emergence of newer technologies like cloud storage and flash storage, some wonder if tape remains a viable and cost-effective option compared to other storage mediums.
What is tape storage?
Tape storage uses magnetic tape media to store and retrieve data. Data is written to tape via a tape drive, tape cartridge, and tape library. Some key advantages of tape storage include:
- High capacity – Single tapes can store terabytes of data.
- Longevity – Tape cartridges can last 30 years or more if stored properly.
- Portability – Tapes are small and lightweight for easy transportation and archiving offsite.
- Reliability – Tape has a bit error rate orders of magnitude better than hard drives.
- Low cost – The price per gigabyte is very low compared to other storage.
Tape is well-suited for archiving and backing up data that does not need to be accessed frequently. While access times are slow compared to hard drives and flash storage, the benefits of high capacity and low cost make tape ideal for secondary storage.
What factors impact tape storage costs?
There are several factors that influence the total cost of ownership (TCO) for tape storage systems:
- Tape drive costs – The tape drive reads/writes data to the tapes. Enterprise tape drives range from $2,000 to $7,000.
- Tape media costs – The actual tapes used in the drives. Tape cartridges range from $20-$150 depending on capacity.
- Tape library costs – Automated libraries house dozens to thousands of cartridges for easy access. Libraries range from $4,000 to $250,000.
- Software costs – Software for media management and data migration across tapes.
- Maintenance costs – Maintaining and replacing drives, media, and libraries over time.
- Space/power costs – Data center space and electricity to operate the equipment.
- Personnel costs – IT staff time to manage the tape infrastructure.
While the drive, media, and library costs are relatively fixed, factors like maintenance, space, power, and staffing can vary greatly. Understanding the ongoing operational costs is key to determining the TCO.
How does tape storage compare to other storage mediums?
Here is how tape storage typically compares to hard disk drives (HDDs) and flash storage in key categories:
| Tape Storage | Hard Disk Drives | Flash Storage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per GB | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
| Access speed | Slowest | Medium | Fastest |
| Lifespan | 30 years | 3-5 years | 5-10 years |
| Durability | High | Medium | Medium |
In summary:
- Tape has the lowest cost per gigabyte stored.
- HDDs have faster access speeds than tape, but slower than flash.
- Tape cartridges can last for decades if stored properly.
- Tape has higher durability and reliability than HDDs and flash storage.
Each technology has its optimal use case. Tape excels when high capacity, long retention, and lowest storage cost are critical.
What are the latest tape storage costs?
Current tape storage costs include:
- LTO-9 tape drives start around $3,500.
- LTO-9 tapes cost around $150 per cartridge.
- A mid-sized tape library runs $10,000 to $25,000.
- LTO-9 tapes can store 18TB uncompressed or 45TB compressed per cartridge.
LTO (Linear Tape-Open) is the most common tape storage technology on the market. LTO roadmaps predict capacities and bandwidths will continue growing steadily over the next decade. Tape is keeping pace with disk and flash density improvements.
What are the main advantages of tape storage?
Here are some of the key advantages of tape storage:
- Low cost – The per-gigabyte cost is unbeatable compared to other storage.
- High capacity – Single cartridges can store dozens of terabytes and capacity keeps improving.
- Long-term retention – Tape cartridges can store data for 30 years if stored properly.
- Energy efficiency – Tape consumes little power versus spinning hard drives.
- Portability – Tapes are small and lightweight for easy transportation.
- Durability – Tape media life spans exceed that of hard drives.
- Reliability – Bit error rates up to 100x lower than enterprise HDDs.
For large archives that do not need instant access, tape provides unmatched storage density and longevity at a low cost.
What are the main disadvantages of tape storage?
Tape also comes with some downsides to consider:
- Slow access times – Retrieving data from tape is slow compared to disk and flash.
- Sequential access – Tapes only allow sequential file access unlike random access on disk.
- Hardware costs – Drives and automation libraries have high upfront costs.
- Media fragility – Tapes require careful handling to avoid physical damage.
- Encryption costs – Full hardware encryption can significantly increase costs.
- Environmental factors – Heat, humidity, and magnets can impact tapes.
Organizations need to consider access requirements when deciding if tape is appropriate. Tape works best as an archival compliment to lower latency storage tiers.
How can you reduce tape storage costs?
There are ways to lower the TCO of a tape storage infrastructure:
- Use tiered storage to leverage tape for inactive data instead of primary storage.
- Deduplicate data to reduce capacity requirements.
- Compress data to fit more on each tape.
- Automate media handling with a library instead of manual intervention.
- Optimize cleaning cycles to increase media life.
- Consolidate multiple tape silos into a single library.
- Utilize the cloud for disaster recovery instead of tape copies offsite.
- Evaluate the latest LTO generation for higher capacity per tape.
While tape has fixed hardware costs, IT teams can maximize their investment through data reduction techniques and automation to lower ongoing overhead.
How much data can you store on tape?
The amount of data that can be stored on tape depends on a few key factors:
- Tape generation – Higher LTO generations pack more capacity on each cartridge.
- Compression – Compression can double or triple tape capacity.
- Deduplication – Reduces redundant data to increase effective capacity.
- Media sizes – Cartridges come in different sizes from 100GB to 60TB raw capacities.
For example, the latest LTO-9 tapes can hold:
- 18TB native capacity
- Up to 45TB compressed (2.5:1 ratio)
- Up to 90TB compressed with deduplication (5:1 ratio)
A mid-sized tape library with 1,000 LTO-9 tapes could theoretically store 45 petabytes of compressed data or 90 petabytes with deduplication enabled. Tape remains unsurpassed in storage density versus other media.
Is tape storage reliable for long-term data retention?
Yes, tape is considered very reliable for long-term data archiving of up to 30 years. Some factors that make tape well-suited for long retention periods include:
- Long media life – Tape media can last for decades before degrading if stored properly.
- Error correction – Built-in error checking protects against data corruption.
- Durability – Tape media is more durable and robust compared to disk and flash memory.
- Environmental tolerance – Newer tape generations withstand dust, heat, and humidity.
- Offline storage – Offline tapes are not vulnerable to software/hardware failures.
- Bit rot prevention – Storing data offline prevents silent data corruption.
Regular tape migration helps safeguard against media deterioration and drive/format obsolescence. Independent studies show that tape has a lower rate of data loss compared to other storage mediums. The long lifespan and portability of tape make it the premier choice for compliant archiving.
What are the main tape storage vendors?
The major vendors providing tape storage products and solutions include:
- IBM – One of the early pioneers of tape technology with their 3590 and TS11xx drive families.
- Oracle – Offers the StorageTek SL8500 and SL3000 scalable tape libraries.
- Spectra Logic – Leading provider of tape libraries for SMB, mid-range, and enterprise customers.
- Quantum – Tape automation platforms like the Scalar i3 and i6.
- HPE – Autoloaders like the MSL6480 along with the StoreEver MSL tape libraries.
- Dell – PowerVault tape solutions offer affordability for SMBs.
All the major vendors have adopted the LTO format for drives and media. LTO technology is an open standard controlled by the LTO Consortium.
Conclusion
While tape storage has higher upfront costs compared to disk or the cloud, the ongoing TCO of tape is very competitive when used for secondary storage. The unbeatable storage density, 30-year media lifespan, and energy efficiency of tape make it ideal for cost-effectively managing vast data archives. With tape technology continuing to evolve in capacity and reliability, it remains a critical component of the modern data center storage hierarchy complementing flash storage and cloud tiers.