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Dell Storage Technology Foundations Online Training Course
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Index
Course Overview
Storage Media
Storage Interfaces
Data Availability
Data Recovery
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Magnetic Tape
Tape Technology
Travan
Digital Data Storage
Digital Linear Tape
Linear Tape Open

PowerSuite
Overview

Review
Section Review
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Storage Architecture
Storage Management
Dell Storage Product Line
Course Review
Course Feedback
Contact Dell

Data Recovery

Digital Data Storage

Digital Data Storage (DDS) is an industry standard that uses either 4mm or 8mm Digital Audio Tape (DAT) cartridges. DDS drives utilize helical scan recording. Helical scanning has several advantages over linear tape.
  • Full capacity is achieved after only one "pass"
  • The tape media moves much more slowly across the tape head, reducing wear on the tape surface
  • Faster loading, which leads to quicker retrieval of data
This graphic shows a generic tape mechanism

DDS media is similar in look to the QIC media used in Travan drives, but the tape is pulled from the cartridge and wrapped halfway around a cylindrical drum. The drum contains alternating read/write heads and is tilted slightly from the vertical. The tape moves in the opposite direction of the spinning drum.

There have been several generations of DDS drives. Each generation offers higher tape capacities and faster data transfer rates. The DDS media is forward compatible, meaning a DDS-3 tape will function in a DDS-4 tape drive; however, a DDS-4 tape will not function in a DDS-3 tape drive.

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