📦 General Description
Discover the HPE LTO-6 Ultrium C7976B cartridge, a 6th generation magnetic tape storage solution offering exceptional capacity of 6.25 TB in compressed mode. This professional data cartridge uses revolutionary BaFe (Barium Ferrite) technology that ensures superior recording density, increased durability, and reliable archiving for up to 30 years.
Designed for demanding professional environments, this LTO Ultrium 6 cartridge records data on 2,176 tracks with a transfer rate of up to 400 MB/s in compressed mode. Compatible with all LTO-6 drives on the market (HPE StoreEver and other manufacturers), it features an intelligent memory chip for faster access and optimized monitoring of storage media.
⚠️ Important: The photos are for illustration purposes only. Only the content detailed in this announcement is authoritative for the exact product reference and included accessories. If you have any doubts regarding compatibility with your tape drive, please feel free to contact us before purchase.
🔒 Cutting-Edge Technologies
🛡️ AES-256 Encryption 💎 BaFe Technology 📁 LTFS Compatible ⚡ 400 MB/s
Barium Ferrite (BaFe) Technology: Unlike traditional metal oxide-based magnetic tape technologies, Barium Ferrite offers superior thermal stability, optimal magnetic coercivity of 2280 Oe, and increased resistance to degradation, ensuring the integrity of your archived data for three decades.
AES-256 hardware encryption: Your sensitive data is protected by the industry's most robust encryption standard, directly managed at the drive level with no impact on backup performance.
⚙️ Complete Technical Specifications
HPE Reference: C7976B
Format: LTO Ultrium 6
Native capacity: 2.5 TB (2500 GB)
Compressed capacity: 6.25 TB (compression 2.5:1)
Native transfer speed: 160 MB/s
Compressed transfer speed: 400 MB/s (2.5:1)
Hourly transfer rate: 1.4 TB/hour
Tape technology: BaFe (Barium Ferrite)
Tape length: 846 meters (2,903 feet)
Tape width: 12.65 mm (0.498 inches)
Tape thickness: 6.1 µm (0.00024 inches)
Number of tracks: 2,176 tracks (16 simultaneous writes)
Magnetic coercivity: 2,280 Oersted (Oe)
Encryption: AES-256 bits
Error detection/correction: Reed-Solomon
Uncorrected error rate: 1 in 10^17 bits
Encoding method: RLL 32/33
Archival lifespan: 30 years minimum
Load/unload cycles: 20,000 cycles
File system compatibility: LTFS (Linear Tape File System)
Cartridge memory chip: LTO Ultrium Cartridge Memory
📐 Dimensions and Weight
Cartridge dimensions (L×W×H): 102.0 × 105.4 × 21.5 mm
(4.02 × 4.15 × 0.85 inches)
Cartridge weight: 200 grams (0.441 lb / 7 oz)
Color: Purple - Standard LTO-6
🌡️ Environmental Conditions
Operating temperature: 10°C to 45°C (50°F to 113°F)
Operating humidity: 10% to 80% RH (non-condensing)
Short-term storage temperature: 16°C to 35°C (61°F to 95°F)
Long-term storage temperature: 16°C to 25°C (61°F to 77°F)
Storage humidity: 20% to 50% RH (long-term archiving)
Shipping temperature: -23°C to 49°C (-9°F to 120°F)
Max wet bulb temperature: 26°C (79°F)
🔧 Compatibility
Compatible drives: All LTO-6 Ultrium drives (HPE StoreEver, IBM, Quantum, Dell, Tandberg, and other manufacturers)
Backward compatibility: LTO-7 drives can read and write on this LTO-6 cartridge. LTO-8 drives can read (read-only) this cartridge.
Robotics and libraries: Compatible with all LTO-6/7/8 libraries and autoloaders on the market
✨ Condition and Authenticity
Condition: New and sealed LTO-6 Ultrium data cartridge in original HPE packaging. This cartridge has never been used and is ready for immediate use in your professional backup infrastructure.
Authenticity guaranteed: This HPE LTO-6 C7976B cartridge is a 100% authentic and original product made by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We do not sell any compatible, counterfeit, or third-party brand cartridges. Each cartridge carries the HPE serial number and is covered by the limited lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
HPE Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty - Limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects and materials for the useful life of the product or until the end of the manufacturer's product support.
🇺🇸 Country of manufacture: United States / Asia (under HPE license)
🎯 Professional Applications
This LTO-6 Ultrium cartridge is the ideal solution for:
- 💼 Backup and archiving of critical business data
- 🏥 Long-term preservation of medical records and imaging (PACS)
- 🎬 Archiving of digital media, high-definition videos, and audiovisual projects
- 🏛️ Government archiving and regulatory compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)
- 🔬 Storage of scientific data and academic research
- 📊 Backup of large databases and enterprise servers
- ☁️ Cloud-to-tape backup and hybrid storage
- 🔐 Business continuity plan (BCP) and disaster recovery
- 📚 Document archiving and electronic document management (EDM)
🛡️ Security and Reliability
Advanced Protection Mechanisms
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Smart Grabber Mechanism: Superior gripping mechanism with mechanical locking preventing loss of the leader pin (weak point of DLT technologies), with sensors detecting the correct connection
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Simplified tape path: Optimized design reducing wear and extending cartridge lifespan
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Thermal protection: BaFe technology resistant to temperature variations for ultra-long-term archiving
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Error detection and correction: Reed-Solomon algorithm ensuring data integrity with an uncorrected error rate of 1/10^17 bits
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Smart memory chip: Storage of cartridge metadata for quick access and proactive monitoring of media status
💼 Benefits of Our Service
- ✅ 30-day warranty on the proper functioning of the cartridge (in addition to the HPE warranty)
- ✅ Secure and fast shipping with carrier tracking number
- ✅ Professional antistatic packaging protecting the cartridge against shocks and electrostatic discharges
- ✅ Professional invoice with 0% VAT in paper format included with each package
- ✅ 100% authentic HPE product - No counterfeit or compatible cartridge
- ✅ Stock available for immediate shipping on the same day (order before 3 PM)
⚠️ All consumables are original brand and authentic. We do not sell any compatible or refurbished cartridges! Each HPE LTO-6 C7976B cartridge is new, sealed, and certified by the manufacturer.
⚠️ Important Information
Software disclaimer: We do not provide any backup software, tape drive drivers, or technical support for the installation and configuration of your LTO system. The buyer is responsible for obtaining the necessary backup software (Veeam, Veritas Backup Exec, IBM Spectrum Protect, Acronis, etc.) and configuring their backup infrastructure.
Technical support: We do not provide after-sales technical support regarding the use, setup of LTO drives, backup strategies, or troubleshooting your infrastructure. For any technical questions about tape drives or compatibility, please refer to the official HPE documentation or contact Hewlett Packard Enterprise technical support directly.
Disposal: This cartridge is classified as non-hazardous waste according to EPA regulation 40CFR261 and can be disposed of with regular office waste. However, please comply with local electronic recycling regulations.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the difference between the native capacity and the compressed capacity of this LTO-6 cartridge?
The native capacity of 2.5 TB represents the volume of raw data that can be stored without any compression on the LTO-6 Ultrium magnetic tape. The compressed capacity of 6.25 TB is achieved with a compression ratio of 2.5:1, which is the average compression observed in real-world professional backup environments. Actual compression depends on the type of data: text files, databases, and documents compress very well (ratio of 3:1 or more), while already compressed files (videos, JPEG images, ZIP archives) compress little or not at all. For mixed enterprise backups, you can reasonably expect 4 to 5 TB of effective storage per HPE LTO-6 C7976B cartridge.
Q2: Is this LTO-6 cartridge compatible with my LTO-5 or LTO-7 drive?
No, this LTO-6 Ultrium cartridge is not compatible with LTO-5 drives. The LTO standard imposes limited backward compatibility: an LTO-6 drive can read and write to LTO-5 and LTO-6 cartridges, but not the other way around. In contrast, LTO-7 drives can read and write to this LTO-6 C7976B cartridge (one generation backward compatibility), and LTO-8 drives can read it in read-only mode (two generations backward compatibility). For optimal compatibility and maximum performance of 160 MB/s native (400 MB/s compressed), use this HPE cartridge with a dedicated LTO-6 Ultrium drive.
Q3: How long can I keep my archived data on this LTO-6 cartridge?
The Barium Ferrite (BaFe) technology of this HPE LTO-6 Ultrium cartridge guarantees a minimum archival lifespan of 30 years under proper storage conditions. To maximize the longevity of your magnetic tape archives, store the cartridges in a controlled environment between 16°C and 25°C with a relative humidity of 20% to 50%, away from direct light, strong magnetic fields, and dust. BaFe offers superior thermal stability compared to traditional metal oxide technologies, ensuring the integrity of your critical data for legal archiving requirements, regulatory compliance, and digital heritage preservation over several decades.
Q4: Which backup software do you recommend for using this professional LTO-6 cartridge?
This HPE LTO-6 Ultrium C7976B cartridge is compatible with all professional backup software on the market that supports LTO-6 drives, including Veeam Backup & Replication, Veritas Backup Exec, IBM Spectrum Protect (formerly TSM), Acronis Cyber Backup, Commvault, Dell EMC Avamar, Micro Focus Data Protector, and many other enterprise solutions. For simplified NAS-type use, LTFS (Linear Tape File System) compatibility allows access to the tape as a standard file system via drag-and-drop, without proprietary software. The choice of software depends on your IT infrastructure, data volume, retention strategy, and budget. We do not provide specific recommendations or software support.
Q5: How does AES-256 encryption work on LTO-6 Ultrium cartridges?
AES-256 bit encryption on HPE LTO-6 cartridges is managed at the hardware level directly by the compatible tape drive, ensuring maximum security without impacting backup performance. When encryption is enabled in your backup software or LTO drive settings, all data is encrypted in real-time before being written to the magnetic tape, with a speed maintained at 160 MB/s native. This military-grade protection (FIPS 140-2 compliant) ensures complete confidentiality of your sensitive data, even in the event of theft or loss of the physical cartridge. Key management must be configured through your IT security infrastructure (Key Management System) - we do not provide support for LTO encryption configuration.
Q6: What is the actual backup speed I can expect with this LTO-6 cartridge?
The HPE LTO-6 Ultrium C7976B cartridge offers a native transfer speed of 160 MB/s (576 GB/hour) and up to 400 MB/s in compressed mode (1.4 TB/hour), allowing you to back up 2.5 TB of data in about 4.5 hours without compression, or up to 6.25 TB in less than 4 hours with optimal compression. However, these theoretical performances require an appropriate infrastructure: SAS 6Gb/s interface, a sufficiently powerful server to sustain the continuous data flow, and data with a good compression ratio. In a real environment, with file fragmentation and variable compression, expect effective throughput of 100 to 250 MB/s depending on your configuration. To maximize performance, use backup software optimized for LTO-6 and enable data stream multiplexing.
Q7: How many times can I reuse this LTO-6 cartridge for my backups?
This HPE LTO-6 Ultrium cartridge is designed for exceptional durability with 20,000 guaranteed load/unload cycles, which represents several years of intensive use in a daily professional backup context. For weekly or monthly backups, an LTO-6 cartridge can serve throughout its 30-year archiving lifespan without significant degradation. BaFe (Barium Ferrite) technology is more wear-resistant than traditional metal oxide tapes, with a simplified tape path reducing friction. For critical production environments, we recommend following best practices for cartridge rotation (Grandfather-Father-Son strategy) and monitoring error statistics via your LTO drive's monitoring tools to proactively replace cartridges approaching their end of life.
Q8: Can I use this LTO-6 cartridge in a robotic tape library?
Yes, absolutely! This HPE LTO-6 Ultrium C7976B cartridge is fully compatible with all automated tape libraries, autoloaders, and robotic systems supporting the LTO-6 format. The standardized dimensions (102 × 105.4 × 21.5 mm) and the external barcode allow for identification and automatic handling by loading robots. The integrated memory chip (LTO-CM) stores the inventory and metadata of the cartridge, speeding up cataloging operations in multi-cartridge HPE StoreEver MSL libraries, IBM TS3000/TS4000, Quantum Scalar, Dell PowerVault, and other enterprise archiving systems. For large backup infrastructures with automatic tape rotation, you can create a pool of multiple LTO-6 cartridges managed by your media management software.
