Magnetic-tape data storage

Magnetic-tape data storage records digital information as magnetic patterns on a moving tape. It offers high capacity and low cost per stored byte, especially for backups and long-term archives.

Magnetic recording: A method of storing information by changing magnetic states on a recording medium. Tape drives encode data by magnetizing regions of tape.
Data backup: The creation of copies of data so it can be restored after loss or damage. Tape commonly holds backup copies of business and institutional data.
Hard disk drive: A data-storage device that uses rotating magnetic disks and movable read-write heads. Disk storage offers faster random access, while tape generally costs less per stored byte.
Valdemar Poulsen: A Danish engineer who invented the telegraphone, an early magnetic sound recorder, in 1898. His wire recorder established magnetic recording decades before computer tape.
Linear tape recording: A tape-recording method that writes data in long tracks running along the tape. Many modern tape formats arrange data in parallel longitudinal tracks.
Data archiving: The long-term preservation of information that is no longer needed for frequent access. Tape's low storage cost suits data retained for years but rarely retrieved.
Solid-state drive: A data-storage device that stores data in flash memory without moving parts. Flash provides much faster access, but usually costs more per byte than archival tape.
Magnetic wire recording: A recording method that stores sound as magnetic patterns on a moving metal wire. Wire recording was an early practical form of magnetic storage that preceded tape.
Serpentine recording: A tape layout that writes successive tracks in alternating directions along the medium. Alternating passes lets a drive use much of the tape's width.
Cold storage: Data storage kept offline or infrequently accessed to reduce cost and exposure to threats. Removable cartridges can remain disconnected until their contents are needed.

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