Advanced Sony Ait-3 Tape Technology

By Author: Frank Miller
Total Articles: 595
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AIT (advanced intelligent tape) format is a smart medium that handles the challenges of modern backup infrastructure and data-rich media environments. AIT technology is ideally suited for SMBs, financial industry, branch offices, government agencies and data mining.

AIT is a versatile tape format that offers business enterprises the broadest range of data capacities, exceptional compatibility and faster transfer speeds.

Sony, a media storage leader, manufactures full line of AIT media devices. Sony AIT-3 tape drives deliver unprecedented data reliability at 31 MB/s compressed data rate, with an outstanding data compression of 2.6 to 1. This increased data compression has been made possible by the incorporation of industry leading ALDC (Adaptive Lossless Data Compression) system. A single space-saving Sony AIT-3 tape can hold greater data volume of 260 GB in compressed mode.

WORM functionality makes Sony AIT3 tape devices the most reliable choice for robust data security and long term data retention. Sony AIT-3 tape drives feature 3.5" half height format, which enables it to meet the requirements of ...
... space-constrained environments. Sony has introduced AME media formulation that enables the AIT-3 data tapes to deliver extraordinary reliability and outstanding tape stability during heavy workloads. AME (advanced metal evaporated) technology has extended the useful life of Sony AIT3 tapes to an average of 30 years. Highly robust Sony AIT 3 tapes perform excellently with up to 30,000 tape passes.

Sony has engineered new automated cleaning solution known as “super head cleaner”, which features in all Sony-branded AIT tape drives. The aim of introducing this automated cleaning mechanism is to lower the periodic need for using cleaning cartridges. As a result, the working life of AIT drive and backup tapes will be prolonged.

Other competing tape formats offer backward read-record compatibility with one generation back. Sony AIT-3 drives have more to offer their customers; they are read-write compatible with the first three AIT tape versions AIT-1, AIT-2 and AIT-3. Sony AIT-3 is the prefect backup medium for the current users of AIT, whose storage requirements are growing at a fast rate.

Remote memory in cassette (R-MIC) is an advantageous and innovative technology that boosts the data access and media loading capabilities of AIT-3 tape drives. R-MIC is a small memory chip that stores file log, file index and usage history. It is embedded into each AIT 3 tapes. AIT drives extract this useful information from R-MIC, which helps to heighten the operational efficiency.
In order to increase data throughput, Sony has increased the buffers size of its AIT-3 drives to 18 MB.

AIT data tapes that are compatible with Sony AIT3 drives are listed below:

Sony AIT3 tape
SDX3-100C

Sony AIT-2 WORM tape
SDX2-50WA

Sony AIT3 WORM cartridge
SDX3-100W

Sony AIT-2 tape
SDX2-50C

Sony AIT-2 36GB tape
SDX2-36C

Sony AIT-4 tapes
SDX4200, sdx4200cww

AIT-5 tapes
SDX5-400c

Read-write head of Sony AIT3 drives deliver unparalleled working life of 50,000 hours, with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 400,000 hours.

SDX1-CL is a Sony-branded AIT cleaning cartridge which delivers excellent results with AIT-3, AIT-1 and AIT-2 drives. Cleaning cartridge helps to reduce tape wear-and-tear, and increases the data reliability.

Frank Miller is the Marketing Manager of Backuptape and markets AIT3 tape and SDX3-100C. He has vast experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping buyers who have the backup needs and guide clients about the technology.

Frank Miller
3984 Washington Blvd #503 Fremont CA 94538
Tel: 888-686-8273
Fax: 888-449-5050
Email: sales@backuptapes.net