Channel questions LTO-5 availability
Resellers expect to take delivery of first shipments this month, but question when drives to support format will be widely available
Taking the fifth: Doubts remain over LTO-5 drive availability
Concerns have been raised by the channel over the availability of tape drives that support the fifth generation of Linear Tape Open (LTO-5).
The LTO-5 format can hold nearly twice as much compressed data as the previous tape generation, with UK resellers expected to take delivery of their first shipments later this month.
Tape drive vendors Quantum and HP have announced LTO-5 offerings, but some resellers have raised concerns over when their rivals are planning to follow suit.
Brett Edgecombe, sales director at tape drive reseller 101 Data Solutions, said that he is holding off recommending LTO-5 to customers because of “the vagueness” surrounding the availability of tape and drives.
He said: "There is a lot of vagueness, and I will not be recommending LTO-5 as we do not know for certain when our customers will be getting the kit they order."
Matthew Gwynn, business development director at data tape reseller PMD Magnetics, admitted the demand for LTO-5 tapes is “not quite there yet”.
He added: “The tape drive hardware is not hugely available at the moment, even though we have started to receive orders for tapes.”