Brochure
3
Brochure | HP LTO Ultrium Storage Media
The route took them through 19 countries: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Awaiting them along the way were ice, snow,
mountains, deserts, rivers, potholes and the infamous ‘Road of Hell’ with its corrugated and
volcanic rock surface in northern Kenya.
When it comes to demonstrating the superiority of HP LTO Ultrium media, HP likes to go the
extra mile as well. So going 9,000 miles with Rainer and his team seemed to be the perfect
extreme test for a HP LTO-6 cartridge. This would continue a tradition that has seen HP Storage
Media climb Mount Everest, cross the Sahara and journey deep into the Venezuelan rain forest.
The ultimate tape drive needs the ultimate tape
As always, the test had to have a direct link to the real world conditions and processes that
could be experienced by your tape cartridges. One of the key benets of HP StoreEver tape is
that it allows you to move and protect data o-site. But whether your data originates on an
oil rig, a lm set or in a state-of-the-art data center, it needs to arrive safely. This is why HP
tests its data cartridges for shock and vibration, even though this not a requirement for the
LTO industry-standard logo.
No special padding was used to protect the cartridge from the rigors of the journey other
than to wrap it in waterproof tape purchased from a household DIY store. Otherwise, the
tape traveled entirely in its own original shrink wrap. The same adhesive tape was then used
to secure the cartridge to the roof of the car. The placement was quite deliberate to make
sure that the HP data cartridge would feel every bump and jolt and be exposed to the same
changes in external temperature and humidity as the vehicle.
With altitudes ranging from sea level to heights of nearly 10,000 feet, the cartridge
experienced an enormous range of temperatures and humidities, a real world version of
the recent environmental interchange tests deployed in HP’s laboratories. At times, humidity
levelsreached 90%, while temperatures ranged from below 10°C to above 40°C, all within
a matter of days.
Nordkapp
Cape Agulhas
Berlin
Istanbul
Cairo
Nairobi
Johannesburg
So how better to demonstrate shock and vibration than to attach a HP LTO-6
data cartridge to the roof of a VW Touareg, hurtling across Europe and Africa
in a race against time, battling through all terrains and conditions on its
record-breaking mission?