Media stability and life expectancies of magnetic tape for use with IBM 3590 and digital linear tape systems

The purpose of this study was to determine the environmental stability and life expectancies of magnetic media used with certain high density, digital recording tape systems, specifically the IBM 3590 and both quantum's digital linear tape (DLT) and super DLT products. The goal of the study was to compare the tape stabilities and life expectancies of the corresponding tape media and tape storage products and to determine the most suitable magnetic medium for the archival preservation of electronic records.