YoYotta LTFS Backup Software for Mac OSX
Support Single Or Dual LTO-9, LTO-8, LTO-7, LTO-6 or LTO-5 drives
YoYotta LTFS runs well on the new Apple Silicon M1 Macs and macOS 11 Big Sur.
Any Mac running Big Sur will need new software drivers for SAS and FibreChannel interface cards and Thunderbolt LTO drives. MagStor has released new drivers for their Thunderbolt 3 LTO drives and we have tested them with M1 Macs. ATTO has released new drivers for their interfaces and these have also been tested with M1 Macs.
LTFS Archiving
Linear Tape File System is a standard format for writing files to tape. It's ideal for storing production and post media as the LTO tapes can be mounted and read on Linux, macOS, and Windows. You aren't locked into a proprietary archive.
YoYotta LTFS
YoYotta LTFS includes all the features of YoYotta and adds the ability to create archives in parallel to two standalone LTO drives using LTFS. Quickly create industry-standard archives on LTO-9, LTO-8, LTO-7, LTO-6, or LTO-5 tapes. YoYotta names, formats, mounts, and repairs tape archives. During the archive YoYotta calculates both MD5 and xxHash checksums and then automatically uses these to read back and verify every file.
YoYotta LTFS remembers the contents of every tape created so later on you can search to find the location of shots.
- Select Media Source
- Select Backup Destination
- Start Backup
LTO Tape
LTO-8 tape stores up to 11.3 TB and are a lot faster at 250-300MB/s.
LTO-7 tape stores up to 5.6 TB and are a lot faster at 250-300MB/s.
LTO-6 tape stores up to 2.3 TB and are a little faster at 160MB/s.
LTO-5 tape stores up to 1.25 TB and can be read or written at 140MB/s.
Some space is reserved for LTFS tape indexes.
Unlike hard drives, the tapes are designed with a 30-year shelf life.
All tapes must have barcode labels, this identifies the tape and allows use in a library.
Smart Queuing
LTFS does allow access from the desktop, but it is not the fastest way to read and write.
Remember that LTFS is a tape that cannot be accessed in parallel.
YoYotta LTFS has a smart queue, so multiple copies to tape can be started and they will be processed in the order.
Connecting LTO drives to a Mac
The LTFS standard requires an LTO-8, LTO-7, LTO-6, or LTO-5 tape drive. LTO drives have either SAS or Fibre Channel interfaces.
Use SAS drives, they are cheaper, they use more durable cables, there is no configuration and SAS gives the same performance.
To connect a SAS or FC LTO-5, 6, 7, or 8 drive to a Mac use the ATTO ExpressSAS H680, H1280, or ATTO Celerity FC PCIe cards from ATTO.
H644 and H608 cards can also be used, but ensure they have the correct SAS connectors for your drive.
These PCIe cards can go in a Thunderbolt expansion like the Sonnet Echo Express SEL shown here.
Built-in Project and Metadata Store
All media metadata is stored in a local database. Use YoYotta LTFS to catalog your drives, volumes, and tapes.
Search for Assets
YoYotta LTFS stores full media metadata including codec, resolution, duration. It's quick to locate media and you can see where it's stored. Open a virtual folder showing all the media from your search in one place. Make PDF reports from searches, handy to give the producer a list of shoot durations for all media types.