The Last Resort: Streamer Technolgy Overview

Test Object: Tandberg SLR75

We tested an SLR streamer from Tandberg, which represented the mid-level range for streamer products. Uncompressed, it backs up to 38 GB per tape and it costs less than $900 (€1,000). The device is connected via SCSI-3 (Wide Ultra), enabling a bandwidth of up to 40 MB/s.

The drive's technology is QIC 80-based. Data is written linearly onto the tape on 192 tracks located next to each other. In addition, 24 servo tracks are available for aligning the writing and reading unit. The cartridge is very robust and has a metal plate on the bottom side.

Data can in theory be stored safely with the device for 10 years, allowing users to meet many legal regulations for long-term data storage.

The noise level when storing or restoring data was limited, as SLR technology consistently builds on as few moving parts as possible. Also, since backups are usually generated at night, noise is not a primary concern anyway.

There are few moving parts inside the drive. The picture shows the writing/reading head.

As an SCSI device, SLR75 can be used for most commercially-available backup programs. Thanks to a 68-pin SCSI interface, integrating into existing server systems is also quite simple.

Latest in Storage
4TB SSD Deals
4TB SSDs now 5 cents per GB, Samsung drives on Sale
MagStor
MagStor unveils tape storage drive with Thunderbolt 5 interface for Macs
DNA Storage
AI breakthrough claimed to make DNA data retrieval 3,200x faster with better accuracy, but still slower than standard storage
Seagate SSD
Newegg is selling this speedy 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD at 6 cents per GB
Kioxia LC9 123TB SSD
Kioxia shows off new 122.88 TB SSD — PCIe 5.0 LC9 packs a whole lot of QLC NAND
Solidigm Liquid Cooling Solution
Solidigm debuts the world's first liquid-cooled eSSD solution — Aims to achieve fully fanless GPU servers
Latest in Features
Free Alternatives to Photoshop
Five Best Photoshop Alternatives Tested: Image Editing for Free
Awekeys Antiques Metal keycaps
Awekeys Antiques Metal keycaps are Viking-themed luxury for your fingertips
The Gigabyte X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7
Get the most out of your processor with this motherboard's Turbo Mode
AMD RDNA 4 and Radeon RX 9000-series GPUs
AMD RDNA 4 and Radeon RX 9000-series GPUs start at $549: Specifications, release date, pricing, and more revealed
MSI Prestige GPU
Tested: Intel's Arrow Lake 140T iGPU mostly maintains an edge over AMD's older 880m
MechBoards Hyper7 R4
I’m typing this on the world’s largest keyboard, a 178-key beast designed to make you more productive