HPE LTO-9 45TB RW 20 Crtg - Q2079AA

HPE Q2079AA LTO-9 Rewritable Tape Cartridge

Overview

The HPE Q2079AA is an LTO-9 Ultrium rewritable tape cartridge designed for long-term surveillance footage and archival data storage in enterprise environments. With 45TB of compressed capacity (assuming a 2.5:1 compression ratio), a 1,000 MB/sec read speed, and a 30-year archival lifespan, this cartridge suits organizations managing multi-year video retention policies or compliance-driven record keeping. The Q2079AA supports both rewritable and write-once media formats, giving you flexibility in how you organize your backup and archive workflows.

Key Features

• 45TB Compressed Capacity (2.5:1): Stores roughly 18TB of uncompressed data per cartridge — a significant reduction in media volume and handling costs when archiving years of surveillance footage across dozens of cameras. Compression depends on video codec efficiency; H.265 streams typically exceed 2.5:1.
• 1,000 MB/sec Read Speed: Fast sequential retrieval means you can recover archived footage or perform compliance audits without waiting hours for tape loads. Useful when you need to pull evidence quickly from a multi-year archive.
• LTO-9 Ultrium Technology: Leverages barium ferrite magnetic coating and 8,960 data tracks per cartridge for dense, reliable data packing. This standard ensures compatibility with LTO-9 drives from multiple vendors — not locked to a single manufacturer.
• 30-Year Archival Life: Meets and exceeds most regulatory retention windows (HIPAA, FINRA, SEC, CCTV archives). Stores safely in climate-controlled archive rooms without degradation concerns across a three-decade timeline.
• Rewritable and Write-Once Options: Choose rewritable cartridges for backup cycles where you overwrite old data, or write-once media for immutable compliance archives. The Q2079AA supports both, so your library can accommodate either strategy.
• Tape Specifications (1,035m Length, 12.65mm Width, 2,850 Oe Coercivity): Physical dimensions ensure reliable feeding and tracking in standard LTO-9 drives. Magnetic coercivity rated for archival stability without bit-slip errors over decades.

Integration and Deployment Context

The Q2079AA works with any LTO-9 tape drive — whether on-premises (in a tape library or autoloader) or managed through a data center archival service. Surveillance NVRs and hybrid storage systems often integrate with LTO tape libraries via backup software like Veeam, Commvault, or VERITAS NetBackup. Ensure your LTO-9 drive firmware is current to avoid compatibility surprises. For long-term cold storage, keep cartridges in a dust-free, climate-controlled environment (ideally 16–35°C, 20–80% RH) to maximize that 30-year lifespan.

What's in the Box

1x HPE LTO-9 Ultrium 45TB rewritable tape cartridge (Q2079AA)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does 45TB compressed capacity mean for my surveillance archive?

A: The 45TB figure assumes a 2.5:1 compression ratio, which is typical for H.265-encoded video. Your actual capacity depends on the codec used by your NVR or recording system. H.264 usually compresses less efficiently, so real-world storage may range from 18TB to 30TB per cartridge. Check your VMS documentation for typical compression ratios in your setup.

Q: Is the Q2079AA compatible with older LTO-8 or future LTO-10 drives?

A: LTO-9 cartridges like the Q2079AA are backwards-compatible with LTO-8 drives (at reduced speed and capacity), but you cannot use them in LTO-10 drives — newer formats are not backwards-compatible. Verify your tape library version before purchasing a large stock of LTO-9 cartridges.

Q: What warranty does the Q2079AA carry?

A: The Q2079AA includes a Limited Lifetime Warranty from HPE, covering defects in material and workmanship. This does not cover data loss from mishandling, environmental exposure, or drive incompatibility issues.

Q: Can I reuse the Q2079AA cartridge after writing data to it?

A: Yes — the Q2079AA supports rewritable media, so you can erase and overwrite it multiple times. If you purchase write-once cartridges instead, they are WORM (Write Once, Read Many) and cannot be erased.

Q: How does 1,000 MB/sec read speed impact archive retrieval time?

A: At 1,000 MB/sec, a full 45TB cartridge would theoretically transfer in roughly 12.5 hours of continuous reading. In practice, load times, seek times, and drive overhead add 10–20% latency, so expect 14–15 hours for a full-cartridge restore. For multi-cartridge restores, a tape library autoloader can stage cartridges in parallel to speed recovery.

Q: What storage conditions will preserve the 30-year archival life?

A: Keep cartridges in a climate-controlled environment at 16–35°C (60–95°F) and 20–80% relative humidity. Avoid direct sunlight, moisture, and temperatures below freezing or above 40°C. Archive-grade storage rooms (or vaults) that meet these specs will reliably preserve the cartridge for three decades.

James Everett

When you're archiving multi-year surveillance libraries — think a large retailer or casino holding 3–5 years of footage for compliance — the HPE Q2079AA becomes a cornerstone of your tape strategy. At 1,000 MB/sec read speed and 45TB compressed capacity, this cartridge Q2079AA cartridge lets you store and retrieve evidence-grade video without tying up expensive hot storage. The 30-year archival lifespan is not just marketing; it means you can satisfy FINRA, SEC, and HIPAA retention mandates without worrying about bit rot during the compliance window.

Technical Highlights:

• 1,000 MB/sec Sequential Read: Fast enough that a full-cartridge restore runs 14–15 hours, not days. Matters when legal discovery or forensic analysis requires pulling years of footage quickly.
• 8,960 Data Tracks & 2,850 Oe Coercivity: Barium ferrite coating and tight magnetic specs mean zero bit-slip errors across three decades. Unlike disk drives that degrade, tape stays stable in archive vaults as long as you keep temperature and humidity stable.
• Rewritable + Write-Once Flexibility: Use rewritable cartridges in your weekly backup rotation, then clone critical footage onto write-once media and lock it in the vault. Immutable archives satisfy auditors who want proof your compliance tapes are untouched.

Deployment Considerations:

• The 45TB compressed figure assumes 2.5:1 compression; H.264 or lower-bitrate H.265 streams may only yield 20–30TB per cartridge. Verify your NVR's actual compression output before calculating cartridge counts for a multi-year archive.
• LTO-9 drives can read LTO-8 cartridges backwards-compatibly, but you cannot use LTO-9 media in future LTO-10 drives. Plan your infrastructure so tape format upgrades don't strand cartridges.
• Climate control is mandatory. A single week above 40°C or below 5°C in a humid warehouse can corrupt archival life claims. Use a dedicated vault or contracted cold-storage facility, not a utility closet.

The Q2079AA is the right cartridge for long-term compliance archives, evidence vaults, and disaster-recovery tape libraries where retrieval happens once or twice per year and reliability matters more than speed. Skip this if you need sub-hour restores — that's what hot NAS is for.