Linear Tape File System

History

Magnetic tape data storage has been used for over 50 years, but typically did not hold file metadata in a form easy to access or modify independent of the file content data. Often external databases were used to maintain file metadata (file names, timestamps, directory hierarchy) to hold this data but these external databases were generally not designed for interoperability and tapes might or might not contain an index of their content. In Unix-like systems, there is the tar interoperable standard, but this is not well-suited to allow modification of file metadata independent of modifying file content data - and does not maintain a central index of files nor provide a filesystem interface or characteristics.

LTFS technology was first implemented by IBM as a prototype running on Linux and Mac OS X during 2008/2009. This prototype was demonstrated at NAB 2009. Based on feedback from this initial demonstration and experience within IBM the filesystem was overhauled in preparation for release as a product. The LTFS development team worked with the vendors of LTO tape products (HP and Quantum) to build support and understanding of the LTFS format and filesystem implementation leading up to the public release.

The LTFS Format Specification and filesystem implementation were released on April 12, 2010 with the support of IBM, HP, Quantum, and the LTO Consortium.

LTFS v2.0.0 was released in March 2011, improving the text to clarify and remove ambiguity. It also added support for sparse files; persistent file identifiers; virtual extended attributes for filesystem metadata and control - and defined minimum and recommended blocksize values for LTFS volumes, for compatibility across various HBA hardware implementations.

Format specification

Version 2.0.0 defines rules for how the version number may change in future, and how compatibility is maintained across varying implementations. All implementations must:

correctly read media that was compliant with any prior version

write media that is compliant with the version they claim compliance with

SNIA Technical Work Group

In August 2012, SNIA announced that it was forming a TWG (Technical Work Group) to continue technical development of the specification. LTFS Format Specification v 2.1 is the baseline for the technical work and standards accreditation process; SNIA LTFS TWG members include HP, IBM, Oracle and Quantum.

Nature

While LTFS can make a tape appear to behave like a disk, it does not change the fundamentally sequential nature of tape. Files are always appended to the end of the tape. If a file is modified and overwritten or removed from the volume, the associated tape blocks used are not freed up, they are simply marked as unavailable and the used volume capacity is not recovered. Data is only deleted and capacity recovered if the whole tape is reformatted.

In spite of these disadvantages, there are several uses cases where LTFS formatted tape is superior to disk and other data storage technologies. While LTO seek times can range from 10 to 100 seconds, the streaming data transfer rate can match or exceed disk data transfer rates. Additionally, LTO cartridges are easily transportable and hold far more data than any other removable data storage format. The ability to copy a large file or a large selection of files (up to 1.5TB for LTO-5 or 2.5TB for LTO_6) to an LTFS formatted tape, allows easy exchange of data to a collaborator, or the saving of an archival copy.

Since LTFS is an open standard, LTFS formatted tapes are usable by a wide variety of computing systems.

IBM Linear Tape File System - Single Drive Edition

The IBM Linear Tape File System - Single Drive Edition, (initially released as "IBM Long Term File System"), allows tapes to be formatted as an LTFS volume, and for these volumes to be mounted - and users and applications access files and directories stored on the tape directly, including drag-and-drop of files.

Operating systems supported by IBM LTFS-SDE

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 5) with LTFS-SDE - 1.2.0 for Linux (support for RHEL 5 dropped in 2.2.2.0, last supported release 2.2.1.1)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 6) with LTFS-SDE

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 7) with LTFS-SDE - 2.2.2.0 for Linux

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP 1 with LTFS-SDE 1.2.0 for Linux

Mac OS X 10.5.6 (Leopard), 10.6.7 (Snow Leopard) with LTFS-SDE - 1.2.0 for Mac OS X (Support dropped in version 2.2.2.0)

Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), with LTFS-SDE - 1.2.5 for Mac OS X (Support dropped in version 2.2.2.0)

Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), with LTFS-SDE - 1.3.0.2 for Mac OS X (Support dropped in version 2.2.2.0)

Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), with LTFS-SDE - 2.2.0.0 for Mac OS X (Support dropped in version 2.2.2.0)

Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), 10.11 (El Capitan) with LTFS-SDE - 2.2.2.0 for Mac OS X

Windows 7 with LTFS-SDE - Windows version 1.2.0

Windows 8 with LTFS-SDE - Windows version 1.3.0.1

Windows 8.1 with LTFS-SDE - Windows version 2.2.0.0

Windows Server 2008 R2 with LTFS-SDE - Windows version 1.2.2

Windows Server 2012 with LTFS-SDE - Windows version 1.3.0.1

IBM Linear Tape File System - Library Edition

The IBM Linear Tape File System - Library Edition (LTFS-LE) product allows LTFS volumes to be used in a tape library. Each LTFS-formatted tape cartridge in the library appears as a separate folder under the filesystem mount point and the user or application can navigate into each of these folders to access the files stored on each tape. The LTFS-LE software automatically controls the tape library robotics to load and unload the necessary LTFS volumes.

Operating systems supported by IBM LTFS-LE

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.4, 5.5 with LTFS-LE 2.0.0 for Linux (latest release: June, 2011)

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP 1 with LTFS-LE 2.0.0 for Linux (latest release: June, 2011)

Oracle's StorageTek Linear Tape File System, Open Edition

Oracle's free open source StorageTek Linear Tape File System (LTFS), Open Edition software is claimed to be the first to store 8.5TB (native capacity) on a single cartridge. It supports Oracle’s midrange StorageTek LTO 5 and LTO 6 tape drives from HP and IBM as well as Oracle’s StorageTek T10000C and T10000D tape drives.

Oracle's StorageTek Linear Tape File System, Library Edition

Oracle’s StorageTek LTFS-LE software offering supports the StorageTek SL8500 Modular Library System, the StorageTek SL3000 Modular Library System, and the StorageTek SL150 Modular Tape.

HP Linear Tape File System

The HP Linear Tape File System (HP LTFS) is HP's implementation. It is a free open source software application.

Operating systems supported by HP LTFS

Linux

Mac OS X

Windows

Quantum Linear Tape File System

Quantum Corporation provides an LTFS solution with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X support.

The Scalar LTFS Appliance is a file system that presents a Quantum tape library as an NAS share. This appliance makes files viewable as if they resided on a local disk and allows users to drag and drop files directly to and from a tape cartridge.

Enterprise Drives

IBM TS1140 Tape Drive

IBM 4 TB Native Capacity Tape Drive

Oracle StorageTek T10000C Tape Drive

Oracle 5 TB Native Capacity Tape Drive

LTO drives

HP StorageWorks LTO-5 Ultrium 3000

HP LTO5 external half height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS

HP StorageWorks LTO-5 Ultrium 3280

HP LTO5 full height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS

IBM System Storage TS2250 Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 external stand-alone half height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

IBM System Storage TS2350 Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 external stand-alone full height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

IBM LTO5 FH FC Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 internal full height tape drive, 8 Gbit/s Fiber Channel interface

IBM LTO5 FH SAS Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 internal full height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

IBM LTO5 HH FC Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 internal half height tape drive, 8 Gbit/s Fiber Channel interface

IBM LTO5 HH SAS Tape Drive

IBM LTO5 internal half height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

Quantum LTO5 HH SAS Tape Drive

Quantum LTO5 external half height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

Quantum LTO5 FH SAS Tape Drive

Quantum LTO5 internal half height tape drive, 6 Gbit/s SAS interface

Appliances

1 Beyond Wrangler LTO-5 Offload Stations

The 1 Beyond Wrangler LTO-5 Offload Stations is an appliance to store broadcast contend directly on tape via LTFS.

Cache-A’s LTO-5 based products

Cache-A Corporation demonstrated one of the early integrations of the LTFS format on LTO Gen5 using IBM's LTFS codebase at NAB 2010. Cache-A is continuing this development with the HP codebase to provide LTFS-based archive appliances that provide access to this technology without requiring any client-side software.

Crossroads StrongBox LTFS tape-based archive

Crossroads announced on April 11th, 2011, to launch in a new tape-based archive product that leverages the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) technology. This solution will serve as an online archive for tier3(Tertiary storage) data, presenting itself as disk storage, but incorporating both disk for fast file storage and retrieval, and physical LTO tape for cost-effective, long-term capacity storage. Products available are StrongBOX T1 and StrongBOX T3.

FOR-A LTR-110HS/120HS Video Archive Recorder

The FOR-A LTR-100HS digital video recorder device is using IBM LTFS formatted tape cartridges. It was introduced at the NAB 2010 and won the IBC 2010 Pick Hit Awards from Broadcast Engineering. Its successor is the FOR-A LTR-120HS [AVC-Intra/DVCPRO Model], which supports additional MXF formats.

Spectra Logic BlackPearl

The BlackPearl appliance is a deep storage gateway that allows reading and writing LTFS-formatted tapes through a S3 interface.

ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) supporting LTFS

BRU PE

TOLIS Group's BRU Producer's Edition version 2.3.0 provides native LTFS (Linear Tape Filesystem Support) for OS X users.

FlashNet

SGL (Software Generation Limited) a UK-based broadcast archive software solutions company, was the first Independent Software Vendor (ISV), which announced their support of LTFS with their FlashNet product.

Masstech Group Inc.

Masstech Group Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based developer of media asset management, archiving, workflow automation and transcoding solutions for the media and entertainment industry, announced LTFS support across the company's solution portfolio in 2012.

Open Source Storage Inc.

Open Source Storage Inc., a Colorado Corporation, develops, installs and supports an open-source implementation of LTFS with extensions for support of tape libraries so that one or more entire tape libraries appear as a single file system name space, with automatic copying and retrieval of files from LTFS volumes. Two products, OSVault and Wellspring, are based on the IBM LTFS SE baseline, the media is interchangeable with any other LTFS implementation. First deployed in 2006, the LTFS filesystem support and LTFS autmounter support was added in 2012 and the first production system went live in January 2013, with over 100 production sites in Broadcast/Entertainment and Medical Applications in operation today.

PreRollPost

PreRollPost can be used with any LTFS compliant tape drive within Macintosh OSX 10.9 and higher or Windows 10, 8, or 7. Backup, scheduling, and retrieving are all possible with PreRollPost which also uses checksum technology to ensure all archives match 100%. No formatting, software, nor other hardware is required. A single click is required to install everything for LTFS. Backup can be used with any files ie NLE project files or entire hard drives. PreRollPost also supports backing up camera originals with an index saved on the local hard drive or LTO tape. Compatible with Sony's Optical Disc Archive, mLogic's mTape, MagStor by MagNext and the LT60 from Unitex.

QStar Archive Manager with LTFS Volume Spanning

QStar announced on 19th July 2012, QStar Unveils Industry’s First Software-Based LTFS Volume-Spanning and File-Spanning Capability for Tape Libraries. With the use of QStar’s LTFS volume-spanning technology, all media within the tape library can be seen as one or more ever-growing network share(s). New LTFS media is automatically added to the set as the previous media becomes full. This approach eliminates the constant stopping and manual reconfiguration required by standard LTFS methodologies as a tape reaches capacity.

XenData

XenData’s entire digital video archive product range supports LTFS, offering a number of advantages compared to other LTFS solutions.

YoYotta

YoYotta create production and post workflow software for archiving, backup and restore using LTFS on LTO-7, LTO-6 or LTO-5 tapes. YoYottaID LTFS controls two standalone LTO drives. YoYottaID Automation controls an LTO library and allows automated creation of multi-tape LTFS archives.

LTFS projects

Thought Equity Motion is executing a major film digitization and preservation project for the EYE Film Institute Netherlands. The project involves scanning more than 150 million discrete DPX files and storing them on LTO Gen5 using the LTFS format. More than 1 petabyte of film will be scanned and archived over two years (2010–2012).

Industry recognition

IBM LTFS technology received a Pick Hit Award from Broadcast Engineering at NAB 2011.

IBM and FOX Networks received an Engineering Emmy Award in 2011 for a project that uses LTFS to store, exchange, and archive video content.

IBM received the 2011 Hollywood Post-Alliance (HPA) Engineering Excellence Award.