NEVER leave a tape inserted when turning power off. NOTE: This test takes longer if a tape is inserted. Turn the unit on at the back and wait while the system performs a self-test. For new users, it will drive you nuts because you think it’s running when it isn’t. For experienced users this is no big deal. You need to turn on the power switch in the back. NOTE: Because you hear the fan you may think that the unit is turned on. Personally, I think the fan needs to be redesigned to get the required airflow with less noise. If you are in an office, you may not hear it. While the fan is variable speed, I find that in idle mode, it is still pretty noisy, especially if you are in a quiet editing or sound mixing room. The switch just turns the LTO drive on or off. This allows any devices connected downstream of the unit to continue working. NOTE: According to the folks at mLogic, Apple and Intel require that the Thunderbolt electronics and fan turn on and off with the computer. The only way to turn off the fan is to disconnect the Thunderbolt connector. Turning power off shuts down the unit, but the fan soldiers on. This is my biggest complaint about the system, the fan is not THAT loud, but it NEVER shuts off. Once the unit is connected to a Mac, the fan at the back of the unit starts. Uncheck the top check box: Prevent computer from sleeping….To do so, go to System Preferences > Energy Saver and: MLogic cautions that system sleep needs to be turned off, otherwise it will interrupt data being recorded to tape. mLogic needs more user testing on its support website to make files easier to find and download. There’s always a trade-off between putting documentation in the box, which can quickly get out of date, vs the hassle of navigating a website to get the latest version of everything. Still, it would be very useful for mLogic to point out on their website what software we need to install and what we don’t. These frameworks are each made by different vendors and updated constantly so the utility needs to download and install each version separately. NOTE: One of the reasons for the separate downloads is that mTape requires three frameworks to be installed: OSXFUSE, ICUFramework and IBM LTFS. There’s no clear statement of what we need to use this on a Mac. Each individual file needs to be downloaded separately. Installing the software, though, is much more awkward. All you need to do is connect power, attach the Thunderbolt cable and the hardware is ready to power on. Given the simplicity of connecting the device, a QuickStart guide for the hardware isn’t necessary, though it would be helpful for the mTape LTFS Utility. It contains a blue card instructing you to visit the mLogic website to register the product, download drivers and the manual. It does not contain a QuickStart Guide or a manual. It includes two cables (power and Thunderbolt), a blank tape and a cleaning cartridge. The mTape unit ships securely padded in a nicely designed cardboard box. NOTE: LTO-7 and LTO-6 drives are also available from mLogic, each at a lower price and with reduced storage capacity The unit comes with a standard 2-year warranty, which can be extended to 3 years. This unit also requires a Thunderbolt 3 connection, though converters from Thunderbolt 3 to 2 will also work. The system requires macOS 10.10.x or later, though mLogic recommends 10.12.x or later. The only downside is a noisy fan that won’t turn off and the need to purchase additional software to make the most of your archiving system. This unit is the next-generation of tape drives from mLogic. LTO tapes are a proven technology that provide an inexpensive way to store media up to 30 years on the shelf. However, for most media archiving, spanning multiple tapes, more sophisticated software is needed to provide searchable databases, better metadata control and autonomous operation. Connecting the unit is dead easy.įor simple archiving, the mTape ships with a basic archive/restore utility (also reviewed below) that allows you to store your data to tape, then get it back later. Using the latest LTO-8 technology, it can store up to 12 TB of data on a single tape.Ĭonnecting via Thunderbolt 3, it transfers data at up to 300 MB/second, depending upon the speed of your source storage. MTape is an LTO-based archiving system that records data to magnetic tape for long-term storage. Even if you are not interested in this device, his interview is definitely worth reading. NOTE: This review also features an extended interview with Roger Mabon, CEO of mLogic, about LTO technology. mLogic has been shipping LTO tape drives since 2014 with LTO-6. This review looks at the hardware side of the equation: mTape, from mLogic. Data that you want to retain for a long period of time.There are three elements to archiving media:
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