Understanding LTO Tape Barcodes: An Easy Explanation
- Zo Jakab
- Jan 7, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 1
LTO Tape Barcodes are essential for identifying and organizing data cartridges in both manual and automated environments. They make it possible to track, manage, and load tapes correctly inside tape libraries.
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Without LTO Tape Barcodes, handling large numbers of cartridges would be slow and prone to errors.
Structure of LTO Tape Barcodes
An LTO Tape Barcode has eight characters printed both as a barcode and as readable text.
The first six characters are the Volume Serial Number (VOLSER). These are unique identifiers that let each cartridge be recognized inside a tape management system.
The last two characters define the LTO generation and type of tape.
Examples:
A barcode ending in “L7” identifies an LTO-7 cartridge.
A barcode ending in “L8” identifies an LTO-8 cartridge.
A barcode ending in “M8” indicates an LTO-7 Type M cartridge (a special format used in LTO-8 drives).
Every LTO Tape Barcode must follow this eight-character layout to ensure compatibility with tape libraries and barcode readers used in enterprise storage systems.
LTO Tape Barcode Suffix Codes
The two-character suffix in an LTO Tape Barcode identifies both the generation and whether it is a standard or WORM tape:
Generation | Standard | WORM |
LTO-3 | L3 | LT |
LTO-4 | L4 | LU |
LTO-5 | L5 | LV |
LTO-6 | L6 | LW |
LTO-7 | L7 | LX |
LTO-8 | L8 | LY |
LTO-9 | L9 | LZ |
These suffixes are part of the LTO Tape Barcode standard defined by IBM, HPE, and Quantum for tape library systems. Some cartridges (such as LTO-7 Type M) use special codes like M8 for clear identification.
Customization of LTO Tape Barcodes
Organizations often customize LTO Tape Barcodes to improve tracking within their own systems.The first six characters can include letters or numbers that identify departments, data types, or storage locations. Only the last two characters are fixed by the LTO specification.
For example, a company could use:
FIN001L8 for a finance department LTO-8 tape
BKP231L9 for a backup LTO-9 tape
This flexibility makes LTO Tape Barcodes ideal for enterprise backup environments where thousands of tapes must be managed efficiently.
Why LTO Tape Barcodes Are Important
LTO Tape Barcodes allow automated tape libraries to load and unload cartridges correctly without manual input. They reduce human error and prevent the wrong media type from being mounted in the wrong drive. They also make tape audits faster and ensure that backup software always knows which tape holds which data.
Pre-labeled cartridges with official LTO Tape Barcodes save time and avoid printing errors. The barcode’s print quality and spacing are designed for reliable scanning by library robotics. Poorly printed labels can cause read errors or slow performance, so using certified LTO Tape Barcodes is critical in production systems.
LTO Tape Drives: Save Up To 80%
✔️ 5-Year Warranty – No Risk: Pay Only After Testing
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