LTO Compatibility and Specification Matrix
Summary: This article mentions tape drive specifications and frequently asked questions.
This article applies to
This article does not apply to
This article is not tied to any specific product.
Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Symptoms
Note: This article is part of the Dell PowerVault knowledge library. See related information in Support Articles for Dell PowerVault products.
Cause
Not required
Resolution
More documents on Dell PowerVault tapes and drives are found on the LTO9 Dell Support page.
Below are listed the LTO tape compatibility table according to the drive that is used.
| Tape Drives | |||||||||
| Cartridge Type | LTO9 Drive | LTO8 Drive | LTO7 Drive | LTO6 Drive | LTO5 Drive | LTO4 Drive | LTO3 Drive | LTO2 Drive | LTO1 Drive |
| LTO9 | Read/Write | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| LTO8 | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| LTO M8 (LTO7 Type M) |
- | Read/Write | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| LTO7 | - | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| LTO6 | - | - | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - | - | - | - |
| LTO5 | - | - | - | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - | - | - |
| LTO4 | - | - | - | Read | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - | - |
| LTO3 | - | - | - | - | Read | Read/Write | Read/Write | - | - |
| LTO2 | - | - | - | - | - | Read | Read/Write | Read/Write | - |
| LTO1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Read | Read/Write | Read/Write |
| Cleaning Tape | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Note | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Below are listed the Drive Specifications.
| LTO Version | Capacity (Native-Compression) | Throughput (Native) |
Encryption Support | WORM Support | Connectivity |
| LTO9 | 18 / 45 TB | 300 MB/s (HH) 400 MB/s (FH) |
Yes | Yes | 12 Gb SAS / 8 Gb FC |
| LTO8 | 12 / 30 TB | 300 MB/s (HH) 360 MB/s (FH) |
Yes | Yes | 6 GB SAS / 8 Gb FC |
| LTO7 | 6 / 15 TB | 300 MB/s | Yes | Yes | 6 GB SAS / 8 Gb FC |
| LTO6 | 2.5 / 6.25 TB | 160 MB/s | Yes | Yes | 6 GB SAS / 8 Gb FC |
| LTO5 | 1.5 TB / 3 TB | 140 MB/s | Yes | Yes | 6 GB SAS / 8 Gb FC |
| LTO4 | 800 GB / 1.6 TB | 120 MB/s | Yes | Yes | SCSI 6 GB SAS / 8 Gb FC |
What is the LTO M8 Cartridge?
- LTO-7 Type M media can be created and later recognized by the use of an automation barcode label ending with the last two characters "M8."
- Only new, unused LTO-7 tape cartridges may be initialized as LTO-7 Type M media. Once a tape cartridge is initialized as Type M, it may not be changed back to a 6TB LTO-7 tape cartridge.
- An LTO-7 tape cartridge initialized as LTO-7 Type M media can only be written and read in an LTO-8 drive.
- LTO-7 drives are not capable of reading LTO-7 Type M media.
- M8 WORM Cartridges are not supported.
About LTO 9 Media Optimization
- • Before writing the data to LTO tape cartridge, you can optimize LTO9 tape cartridge using LTO 9 Drives.
Additional Information
Dell PowerVault Tape Compatibility Matrix on Dell Support describes that all LTO-7, LTO-8, and LTO-9 throughput are the same 300 MB/s, but the Dell PowerVault LTO Cartridges page and other vendor materials state the full-height drives have higher throughput.
Affected Products
Dell EMC ML3, Powervault LTO6, PowerVault LTO7, PowerVault LTO8, PowerVault LTO9, PowerVault ML6000, PowerVault TL2000, PowerVault TL4000, PowerVault TL1000Article Properties
Article Number: 000134122
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 30 Jul 2025
Version: 7
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.