SNIA Announces Linear Tape File System Technical Work Group

News Summary:

• SNIA LTFS TWG is now formed to broaden cross–industry collaboration and continued technical development of the specification
• SNIA receives LTFS Format Specification v 2.1 from industry as the baseline for the technical work and standards accreditation process
• SNIA LTFS TWG members include HP, IBM, Oracle and Quantum

August 20, 2012 (SAN FRANCISCO)— The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) today announced the receipt of the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) Format Specification v 2.1 from industry as well as the formation of the LTFS Technical Work Group (LTFS TWG). The TWG is expected to broaden the industry collaboration and adoption of the LTFS Format as well as develop future versions of the specification. SNIA will partner with the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) to advance the specification through the national and international standards accreditation process.

The current version of the industry specification, which has been adopted by several vendors who provide tape–based solutions, aids with the ease of use, manageability, sharing, and interchangeability of data placed on tape media. LTFS is currently deployed by a variety of enterprises challenged with managing, moving and accessing large digital files across industries like media and entertainment, digital surveillance, and medical imaging. Some of the common LTFS benefits include:

• Directories appear on the desktop in the same way as a disk directory listing, leading to faster access to data when stored on tape, over traditional methods, since directories can appear on the desktop in the same way as a disk directory listing.
• Intuitive file operations by simply dragging and dropping files to and from a tape.
• Application and operating system independence through use of an open, non-proprietary data format and a file system independent of specific software applications.

“SNIA is poised to bring the global industry together to continue to adopt and innovate around the LTFS Format Specification,” said Wayne M. Adams, Chairman of the SNIA. “With the ever increasing size of data objects and data sets, simplicity in managing, moving, storing and sharing the data in a standardized format with various cost-effective media–types has come to the forefront.”

George Crump, Chief Steward, Storage Switzerland added, “Because of the massive growth of data and the need to retain data for longer periods of time tape is experiencing a resurgence. A key to this resurgence is LTFS. SNIA’s receipt of the LTFS Format Specification and the establishment of the technical working group will move LTFS from a defacto standard to a true industry standard ensuring that vendors and users can count on LTFS to remain open and accessible. The working group should bring new ideas to the standard that will broaden LTFS’ appeal and its use cases.”S

How to get involved & more information about LTFS

Please visit the TWG site at http://www.snia.org/tech_activities/work/twgs for more information on how to join the LTFS TWG. For additional information on LTFS, please visit www.snia.org or Storage Switzerland at http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Articles/Entries/2010/5/18_What_is_LTFS.html. For a listing of LTFS product solutions, refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Tape_File_System.

About the SNIA
The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is a not–for–profit global organization, made up of some 400 member companies spanning virtually the entire storage industry. SNIA–s mission is to lead the storage industry worldwide in developing and promoting standards, technologies, and educational services to empower organizations in the management of information. To this end, the SNIA is uniquely committed to delivering standards, education, and services that will propel open storage networking solutions into the broader market. For additional information, visit the SNIA web site at http://www.snia.org or http://www.snia.org/international for a list of International Affiliates.