article HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk in Around the Storage Block Blog

HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk

HPStorage-Guest — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:44:39 GMT

Just launched, HP StoreOpen with Linear Tape File System (LTFS) for Windows is a new tape-based file system for HP LTO-5 tape that is a true game changer when it comes to the usability and portability of tape in standalone Microsoft Windows environments. Find out more about the benefits and value of LTFS for Windows, plus use studies from the media and entertainment industry and links to more information. It's all here in this guest blog post by Simon Watkins, Worldwide Tape Product Marketing Manager, HP Storage.

Re: HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk

Ekin Alpagut — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:24:05 GMT

Hi,

Thanks for LTFS news. I downloaded and tested it, it works fine but having an TR character coding issue which I have lots of file name that includes TR special characters like "Ş İ" . Windows OS can use those filenames without problem but when I try to transfer those files to LTO5, it wirtes an error. Do you know if the HPLTFS utility develeopers will provide a solution for character issue?

regards

Re: HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk

PatrickN — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:28:55 GMT

We are also having some odd problems with the Version 2.0 of HP's LTFS.

Sometimes it sais, the file can't be written, as it exists already. But it doesn't.

Once I copy it over and say "overwrite", it overwrites a complete different filename.

The names are no special character, but in those directories are about 30.000 files, that have an ongoing naming.

like r1241242, r1241243 and so on.

So for us it's not a character issue, but somehow it messes this up. No rule to it, on 100.000 files it didn't happen, and then suddenly it did.

Sure, we could make a zip and just copy that over, but we tried to not go this way.

Any thoughts where this error comes from, is it a Windows 2012 specific issue, as the driver doesn't say it's supported yet. We had to use the Windows 2008 x64 driver.

Thanks

Re: HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk

Roland Rodgers — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:29:46 GMT

We've been using LTFS on OSX and Windows 7 for some months now.

It is very useful to us but clearly still a work in progress.

It is all to easy to lock up explorer with LTFS and necessitate a reboot.

AND, Windows 2012 server is not yet supported.

At almost every trade show I am regaled with manufacturers telling me about the benefits of LTFS. The marketing is not being matched by the quality of the software. That applies more to Hp than others as HP has been very slow to get the Windows version out the door.

ROland Rodgers

Re: HP StoreOpen with LTFS for Windows: Making tape as easy to access and share as disk

CalvinZ — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:06:14 GMT

Hi Roland - always appreciate the feedback. I just got an LTO-6 drive from the team and installed it on my Windows 7 Workstation. I have tons of raw video files that I have shot and I really don't want to delete them so I'm loving having LTFS.

As to you question, a new version of HP StoreOpen Standalone is going to be released in the next couple of months. Further improvements and features are being added to the current version, including support for Windows 2012, so stay tuned for that.

The LTFS specification has now been adopted by SNIA (Storage Network Industry Association) for further development with an LTFS technical working group with engineers from the storage industry so that is great news for LTFS. Thanks again!