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50TB Native (Equivalent to 125TB Compressed):
IBM consistently highlights the native capacity of their 3592 tapes, which is the guaranteed capacity regardless of data compressibility. In contrast, LTO capacities are often mentioned as compressed, assuming a compression ratio of 2.5. In this case, the 50TB capacity is native. With a compression ratio of 2.5, the compressed capacity becomes 125TB. For comparison, LTO-9 offers 18TB native capacity, while the roadmap for LTO-10 predicts 36TB native.
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Exclusive Compatibility with TS1170 Drive:
IBM's new Gen7 tape is exclusively compatible with the TS1170 drive. Similarly, the TS1170 drive can only utilize Gen7 tapes. Unlike previous scenarios, where multiple previous-gen tapes were compatible with a drive, Gen7's unique features may account for this change, notably its leap from Gen6's 20TB to Gen7s 50TB native capacity.
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Absence of WORM or Economy Variant:
Typically, IBM offers both WORM (Write Once Read Many) and Economy variants ( lower-capacity / same format) . For instance, in Gen6 Type E, there are three variants in the 60F format: JE (20 TB RW), JV (20 TB WORM), JM (5 TB RW). However, Gen7, utilizing the 70F format, currently has only one variant: JF 02XY665 tape with 50TB RW capacity.
Tapes remain robust, particularly in the face of ransomware, providing air-gapped protection. Both LTO and 3592 employ Fuji's Barrium ferrite technology, ensuring continued vendor support and innovation for new formats. IBM's recent JF tape exemplifies this continuous expansion
