Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
11/12/2012

Linear Tape File System, The Story So Far...

News Image
David Skeggs, Workflow Designer at root6, considers the uptake of LTFS and asks – what’s not to like?
LTFS (Linear Tape File System) was introduced just over two years ago and, during that time, has provoked considerable discussion within our industry. I guess the first question to ask is what was the idea behind it? I don’t think it’s fair to say its introduction was to replace.TAR and .PAX file formats which were traditionally used by tape archive/backup software, but rather that it offered a simpler and more open approach.
Pre-LTFS, traditional archiving software was more involved to set up; this, together with its closed format, probably contributed to the reluctance some facilities had for archiving on tape.
The overall idea behind LTFS, a self-describing file system which defines the organization of data and metadata, you don't have to depend on independent software to translate the contents of the tape into readable and usable formats.
Consequently content and metadata can be accessed independently from the archiving software or database, as the standard file system view of the data is stored on the tape.
LTFS describes the files and folders on the tape in a familiar manner; this is displayed differently depending on your OS.
The host machine, be it Windows, Mac or Linux, uses the tape’s file system to display the contents of the tape just as it would if you had a USB drive connected.
Users can drag and drop from the host machine to and from the LTFS tape all without any additional software.
So what's not to like about LTFS? It’s simple to use, self contained, multi-platform and the need for complex archiving software is negated.
In some applications though, the lack of file management can be problematic. Have you ever tried to manage multiple external hard drives used by a variety of users containing substantial amounts of different data? You typically end up with a wide variation to the file structure that you initially suggested to try and help with its management. It’s a fact of life that users prefer to use the top level of the drives and aren't always willing to place files into designated folders. If they do there's always a chance they will be abbreviated or spelled wrongly or, worse still, they’ll use characters that cause system administrators very long nights!
So while LTFS as a format is very appealing, it does lack the management that traditional archiving software provided, for example in spanning tapes, searching, replication and report generation.
I’m not sure the archive vendors greeted LTFS with open arms but, as the market has moved on, they have responded. We are now at the point where we have a good open format tape file system that independent archive vendors are integrating into their advanced archiving software. From my experience, all the major archiving software vendors have either already implemented, or are close to releasing, LTFS within their products and that represents a significant step in the right direction.
LTFS is here and it’s going to stay. After all, LTO is a mature tape storage format with LTO-6 around the corner offering 2.6TB with a data-rate of 160MB/s.
This is not to decry disk archiving which is still favorable in some instances, but tape is cheap and compact and, when sitting on shelf in a library, is not drawing power.
It will be interesting to see how Sony’s standalone Optical Disc Archive fairs against LTFS & LTO-6.
Read the rest of the article in the free online edition of RFV issue 195: viewer.zmags.com/publication/8d62a9fc#/8d62a9fc/1
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

30/01/2024
New Software-Based Media Production Suite Unveiled
Panasonic Connect Europe has announced its new software-based Media Production Suite to consolidate PC software for Panasonic's professional camera sy
14/06/2023
ACT Entertainment Announces Plate and Panel Design Software Updates
ACT Entertainment is to display cutting edge updates to its Design Vision custom plate and panel software at InfoComm 2023 (Booth 3643). Company repre
14/12/2023
Avid Announces Enhancements To Its Avid | Stream IO™ Software Subscription Platform
Avid® has announced the latest enhancements to its Avid | Stream IO™ software subscription platform for broadcast production ingest and playout, inclu
01/12/2023
Software Upgrade To LightShark Range of Multiprotocol Lighting Consoles
The LightShark range of DMX-based hardware lighting consoles from Spanish manufacturer Equipson has undergone an exciting software upgrade that introd
20/03/2023
Telestream Announces Software-Only Version of Lightspeed Live Capture
Telestream® will now offer its industry-leading Lightspeed Live CaptureÔ multichannel video capture and processing solution as software-only. The soft
16/03/2023
Dielectric To Unveil New Apollo Software At NAB 2023
In Greek mythology, Apollo signified prophecy and healing with an ability to see into the future. Dielectric's new Apollo software adapts that lore fo
26/09/2023
Forever Audio Makes Use Of Cleanfeed's Remote Recording Software
Audio post production facility Forever Audio made good use of Cleanfeed's Emmy-Award winning remote recording software to capture the voices of actors
15/09/2023
Broadpeak Announces Latest Version Of Its BkS450 Video Streaming Software
Broadpeak® has announced the latest version of its BkS450 video streaming software, offering a remarkable improvement in energy efficiency and cost sa
14/09/2023
Harmonic To Showcase VOS Media Software At IBC 2023
Harmonic has announced a giant leap forward in operational efficiency and performance for its cloud-native VOS® Media Software, setting a new standard
14/04/2023
Qvest Further Expands Cloud Based Software Technologies
Qvest is further expanding its service portfolio in cloud-based software technologies. The Qvest subsidiary HMS will be fully integrated into the comp
11/04/2023
DataCore Software Announces Launch Of Perifery
DataCore Software has announced the launch of Perifery, a new division committed to high-growth edge markets. Initially, Perifery will serve the media
06/04/2023
Cablecast To Demonstrate Version 7.7 Software At NAB 2023
Cablecast Community Media will preview its Version 7.7 software at the 2023 NAB Show next week in Las Vegas. The two new main features provide additio
05/04/2023
Leader To Demonstrate Software-Based Live Cloud Video Flow Monitoring
Leader Instruments Corporation is to demonstrate software-based live cloud video flow monitoring at the April 16th-19th NAB Show in Las Vegas. This sy
22/03/2023
FingerWorks™ Telestrators To Unveil New Computer Vision Software
FingerWorks™ Telestrators is to unveil its new FingerWorks Computer Vision software at NAB 2023 (North Hall, Booth N1810). This new software solution
16/02/2023
Avid Unveils New Pro Tools® Scripting Software Development Kit
Avid has unveiled a new Pro Tools® Scripting Software Development Kit (SDK) supported by the latest version of Pro Tools that ushers in a new era of o