LTO-10 Ultrium Data Tape cartridge HP Q2080A — LTO media, 75 TB compressed, 1035 m, 5.2 µm, 30-year life

HP LTO-10 Ultrium Data Tape cartridge (Q2080A) is a rewritable LTO media designed for long-term backup, archival storage and data retention in enterprise tape libraries and backup systems. The cartridge provides high native capacity and transfer rates for LTO-10, supports hardware AES-256 encryption and LTFS file-level compatibility, and is intended for offline, air-gapped storage with low power requirements when archived.

Advantages

These LTO Ultrium cartridges deliver large-capacity, durable offline media suitable for long-term retention and archival backup. Built-in AES-256 hardware encryption (FIPS 197 / IEEE1619.1, FIPS 140-2 Level 1 certified) secures data at rest while LTFS compatibility allows straightforward file-level access and portability. LTO-10 increases native capacity and transfer performance compared with earlier generations, and cartridges require minimal power and cooling when stored offline, supporting air-gapped strategies and reduced operational costs for long-term archives.

Suitable for

• Long-term archival storage in enterprise tape libraries
• Offline, air-gapped backups for ransomware protection
• Periodic archival retention and compliance storage
• Data migration and portable file-level access using LTFS

Key specifications

• Format: LTO Ultrium (LTO-10)
• Model / MPN: HP Q2080A
• Compressed capacity (typical): up to 75 TB
• Native capacity example: up to 30 TB (LTO-10)
• Tape length and dimensions: 1035 m length, 1.26 cm tape width, 5.2 µm thickness
• Maximum native transfer speed: up to 400 MB/s (LTO-10)
• Encryption: AES-256 (FIPS 197 / IEEE1619.1), FIPS 140-2 Level 1 certified
• Tracks quantity: 15104
• Compatibility: LTFS for file-level access; supported generations LTO-5 through LTO-10 (encryption supported)
• Rated archival life: up to 30 years
• Color: Purple

How to use

Insert the HP LTO-10 Ultrium cartridge into a compatible LTO-10 tape drive or automated library and follow the drive vendor’s initialization or formatting instructions if required. Use backup or archiving software that supports LTFS or tape-aware workflows to write and read data. Enable hardware encryption via the drive or library interface and manage encryption keys according to your organisation’s security policy. After writing data, remove and store cartridges offline in a controlled environment to maintain an air-gapped copy and minimise power and cooling while archived.

Recommendations

Maintain an inventory and rotation schedule for cartridges, perform periodic restore tests to verify data integrity, store encryption keys separately from the media, and follow HP/vendor handling and environmental storage guidelines to maximise cartridge life.