Editing Digital Linear Tape (section)

==Generations==
[[File:Supertape data storage capacities.svg|thumb|500px|Comparison of "supertape" capacities, including SDLT.]]
===Drives===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Drive
!Capacity (GB)
!Interface
!Data Rate (MB/s)
!Date
!Media
|-
|TK50/TZ30
|0.1
|proprietary/SCSI
|0.045
|1984
|CT I
|-
|TK70
|0.3
|proprietary
|0.045
|1987
|CT II
|-
|THZ01/DLT260/Tx85
|2.6
|[[Digital Storage Systems Interconnect|DSSI]]/[[SCSI]]
|0.8
|1991
|DLT III
|-
|THZ02/DLT600/Tx86
|6
|[[Digital Storage Systems Interconnect|DSSI]]/[[SCSI]]
|0.8
|1991
|DLT III
|-
|DLT2000/Tx87
|10
|Fast [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|1.25
|1993
|DLT III
|-
|DLT2000XT
|15
|Fast [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|1.25
|1995
|DLT IIIXT
|-
|DLT4000/Tx88
|20
|Fast [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|1.5
|1994
|DLT IV
|-
|DLT7000/Tx89
|35
|Fast/Wide [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|5
|1996
|DLT IV
|-
|DLT8000
|40
|Fast/Wide [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|6
|1999
|DLT IV
|-
|SDLT 220
|110
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-2|Ultra-2-Wide]] SCSI
|11
|1998
|SDLT I
|-
|SDLT 320
|160
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-2|Ultra-2-Wide]] SCSI
|16
|2002
|SDLT I
|-
|SDLT 600
|300
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-3|Ultra-160]] SCSI/[[Fibre Channel|FC]] 2Gb
|36
|2004
|SDLT II
|-
|SDLT 600A
|300
|[[Gigabit Ethernet|GbE]] ([[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]], [[HTTP]])
|36
|2005
|SDLT II
|-
|DLT-S4
|800
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-320|Ultra-320]] SCSI/[[Fibre Channel|FC]] 4Gb/[[Serial Attached SCSI|SAS]]
|60
|2006
|S4
|-
|DLT-S4A
|800
|[[Gigabit Ethernet|GbE]] ([[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]], [[HTTP]])
|60
|2007
|S4
|-
| colspan=6 | Value line
|-
|DLT1
|40
|Fast/Wide [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|3
|1999
|DLT IV
|-
|DLT-VS80
|40
|Fast/Wide [[Parallel SCSI#SCSI-2|SCSI-2]]
|3
|2001
|DLT IV
|-
|DLT-VS160
|80
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-2|Ultra-2-Wide]] SCSI
|8
|2003
|VS1
|-
|DLT-V4
|160
|[[Parallel SCSI#Ultra-3|Ultra-160]] SCSI/[[Serial ATA|SATA]]/[[USB#USB_2.0|USB]]<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://store.quantum.com/store/quantum/en_US/pd/productID.120423300/categoryID.18026400/parentCategoryID.18026300 | publisher = Quantum | title = Online Store | contribution =Product Info}}.</ref>
|10
|2005
|VS1
|}

===Media===
{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Formats (GB)
!Colour
!Supported by (ro=read only)
|-
|CompacTape I
|0.1
|Light Grey
|TK50/TZ30, TK70 (ro)
|-
|CompacTape II
|0.3
|Dark Grey
|TK70
|-
|DLTtape III
|2.6, 6, 10
|Light brown
|DLT260/600, DLT2000/2000XT/4000/7000
|-
|DLTtape IIIXT
|15
|White
|DLT2000XT/4000/7000/8000
|-
|DLTtape IV
|20, 35, 40{{ref label|DLT-IV|a|a}}
|Dark brown
|DLT4000/7000/8000, DLT1/DLT-VS80{{ref label|DLT-IV|a|a}}, SDLT220/320 (ro)
|-
|Cleaning Tape III
|20 cleans
|Beige
|DLT2000/2000XT/4000/7000/8000
|-
|SDLTtape I
|110, 160
|Dark green
|SDLT220/320, SDLT600 (ro), DLT-S4 (ro)
|-
|SDLTtape II
|300
|Dark blue
|SDLT600, DLT-S4 (ro)
|-
|DLTtape S4
|800
|Dark purple
|DLT-S4
|-
|SDLT Cleaning Tape
|20 cleans
|Light grey
|SDLT220/320/600, DLT-S4
|-
|DLTtape VS1
|80, 160
|Ivory/Black
|VS160, DLT-V4, SDLT600 (ro)
|-
|DLT VS Cleaning Tape
|20 cleans
|Brown
|DLT1, DLT-VS80
|-
|DLT VS160 Cleaning Tape
|20 cleans
|Light grey
|DLT-VS160, DLT-V4
|}

{{note label|DLT-IV|a|a}} DLTtape IV can support both DLT4000/7000/8000 and DLT1/DLT-VS80 for full functions; once DLTtape IV media has been written to or formatted in a DLT7000/8000 drive, this media cannot be read, written to, or formatted in a DLT1/DLT-VS80 drive unless it is [[degaussing|degaussed]]. Once the media has been written to or formatted in a DLT4000 drive, the media cannot be written to or formatted in a DLT1/DLT-VS80 drive unless it is degaussed but it can be read. This is because the DLT1/VS series use a different recording format that is not fully supported by the other family.

Tapes written in value series drives can typically be read in (and often written to) higher end drives of a similar vintage, so long as the drive's technical specifications contain interoperability options.