1. Design

2. Software support

3. Barcode labels

4. Autoloaders

5. See also

6. References

In computer storage, a tape library, sometimes called a tape silo, tape robot or tape jukebox, is a storage device that contains one or more tape drives, a number of slots to hold tape cartridges, a barcode reader to identify tape cartridges and an automated method for loading tapes (a robot). Additionally, the area where tapes that are NOT currently in a silo are stored is also called a tape library. Tape libraries can contain millions of tapes.

One of the earliest examples was the IBM 3850 Mass Storage System (MSS), announced in 1974.

Design

These devices can store immense amounts of data, ranging from 20 terabytes^[1] up to 2.1 exabytes of data^[2] as of 2016. Such capacity is multiple thousand times that of a typical hard drive and well in excess of what is capable with network attached storage. Typical entry-level solutions cost around $10,000 USD,^[3] while high-end solutions can start at as much as $200,000 USD^[4] and cost well in excess of $1 million for a fully expanded and configured library.

For large data-storage, they are a cost-effective solution, with cost per gigabyte as low as 10 cents USD{{when|date=May 2013}}, or at least 60% less than most hard drives, and they also provide systematic access to very large quantities of data. The tradeoff for their larger capacity is their slower access time, which usually involves mechanical manipulation of tapes. Access to data in a library takes from several seconds to several minutes.

Because of their slow sequential access and huge capacity, tape libraries are primarily used for backups and as the final stage of digital archiving. A typical application of the latter would be an organization's extensive transaction record for legal or auditing purposes. Another example is hierarchical storage management (HSM), in which tape library is used to hold rarely used files from file systems.

Software support

There are several large-scale library-management packages available commercially. Open-Source support includes AMANDA, Bacula, and the minimal mtx program.

Barcode labels

Tape libraries commonly have the capability of optically scanning barcode labels which are attached to each tape, allowing them to automatically maintain an inventory of which tapes are where within the library. Preprinted barcode labels are commercially available or custom labels may be generated using commercial or free software. The barcode label is frequently part of the tape label, information recorded at the beginning of the medium to uniquely identify the tape.

Autoloaders

Smaller tape libraries with only one drive are known as autoloaders.^[5] The term autoloader is also sometimes used synonymously with stacker,^[6] a device in which the media are loaded necessarily in a sequential manner.^[7]

Other types of autoloaders may operate with optical discs (such as compact discs or DVDs) or floppy disks{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}.

See also

• Optical jukebox

References

• The Town House (Springfield, Illinois)
• The Town Is Quiet
• The Town (newspaper)
• The Town of Crooked Ways
• The town of ramsgate
• The Town of Southport
• The Town of the Dragon
• The Townsend Amendment
• The Townsend Amendment of 1912
• The Town (song)
• The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014 film)
• The Town That Dreaded Sundown (film)
• The Town That Drowned
• The Town (The Weeknd song)
• The town where the New York Giants play in
• The town where the New York Jets play in
• The Town With Bad Wiring
• The Town with Bad Wiring
• The Town With No Name
• The Toxic Avenger
• The Toxic Avenger (disambiguation)
• The Toxic Avenger (musician)
• The Toxic Avenger, Part 2
• The Toxic Avenger (series)
• The Toxic Horror