IBM TS2900 9-slot LTO9 SAS server accessory

TS2900 autoloader with LTO9 drive

The TS2900 autoloader integrates a half-height LTO9 SAS drive and nine cartridge slots in a 2U rack-mountable form factor. It provides up to 162TB of compressed capacity for automated backup and archiving. The unit ships with a 1.5 meter SAS cable, a rack-mount kit and five unlabeled LTO9 cartridges. It suits organisations that need unattended, high-density tape storage in a standard server rack.

SAS interface and half-height drive

The single half-height LTO9 drive connects to the host server through a standard SAS interface using the supplied 1.5 meter cable. The half-height mechanism typically draws less power and generates less heat than full-height equivalents, contributing to quieter operation in a 2U enclosure. Automated cartridge handling keeps the drive idle when no job is running, further reducing average power draw and acoustic output during normal backup windows.

Sustained streaming workloads

During extended backup or restore jobs the autoloader streams data continuously across multiple cartridges without operator intervention. The nine-slot magazine supports sequential fills that can reach the full 162TB compressed capacity in a single run. This design avoids the thermal spikes and rewind delays common in single-drive manual workflows, maintaining steady throughput for long-duration archive operations.