Cartridge Memory Chip (LTO-CM)

All generations of the IBM LTO Ultrium Data Cartridges include a Linear Tape-Open Cartridge Memory (LTO-CM) chip ( 1  in Figure 1), that contains information about the cartridge and the tape (such as the name of the manufacturer that created the tape), as well as statistical information about the cartridge use. This chip is located inside the cartridge housing and is not visible. The LTO-CM enhances the efficiency of the cartridge. For example, the LTO-CM stores the end-of-data location which, when the next time this cartridge is inserted and the Write command is issued, enables the drive to quickly locate the recording area and begin recording. The LTO-CM also aids in determining the reliability of the cartridge by storing data about its age, how many times it has been loaded, and how many errors it has accumulated. Whenever a tape cartridge is unloaded, the tape drive writes any pertinent information to the cartridge memory. The storage capacity of the LTO-CM is 4096 bytes.