Tape Conversion Services

Tape Conversion, also known as media conversion or sometimes referred to as data conversion, is the transfer of data from one data storage medium to another. If, for example, you receive a DLT tape containing data from a client but you have only an LTO tape drive then you have the choice of buying a new DLT drive or having the data transferred onto an LTO Ultrium data cartridge.

The procedure of tape conversion is to make a block for block copy of the data stored on one backup tape media type and transfer the identical data to the target media. Transferring identical data in a block for block copy from one tape format to another may be just what you require. There may however be further issues that would prevent you from accessing the information on the tape that we can help you with. Our advisors are happy to assist with any questions you may have.

To allow tape to tape conversion to be performed the following need to be considered:

The capacity of the target media must be larger than the data being transferred. If the capacity of the data exceeds the capacity of the target media the data will need to be split. The format of the data will determine whether more complex data management is required.

Do you have the correct software? If you are looking to have data transferred from one tape format to a tape format that you can read, you also need to ensure that you have suitable software that will read and understand the data on the tape. For example, a client may send you graphics created on an Apple Mac and written to 4mm DAT using a backup package called Retrospect. A straight DAT to DLT or LTO conversion would not be suitable if you wish to read the data on a Windows system using BackupExec or ARCserve.

Can your software cope? The software used to restore the data must be able to cope with data on a different tape format. Some backup/restore software handle different types of media in different ways or store information regarding the media type within the backup data itself.

Scale. Standard tape conversion is generally suitable for relatively low volumes of media e.g. less than 100 tapes. Although Altirium can handle much larger quantities, even thousands of tapes, a more refined approach may be worth considering. Our advisors are available to discuss your requirements and discuss solutions for your requirement.