Sun 390-0090 20/40GB 4 mm DDS-4 DAT Tape Drive

Product Description

The Sun 390-0090 is a 4mm DAT (Digital Audio Tape) tape drive, specifically adhering to the DDS-4 standard. DAT technology, originally developed for digital audio recording, was adapted for computer data backup due to its high data density and reliability. The DDS-4 generation represented a significant step up in capacity and performance within the DAT family, making it a viable option for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and departmental servers. This drive offers a native storage capacity of 20 GB, which can be expanded to 40 GB when using hardware compression, a common feature in DAT drives. The SCSI interface, likely Ultra160 LVD, ensures a robust and relatively fast connection to the host system, facilitating efficient backup and restore operations. While not as high-performance as LTO or SDLT drives, DAT technology provided a cost-effective and reliable solution for moderate data volumes. Sun Microsystems integrated these drives into their product lines to offer a complete backup solution. The 390-0090 would typically be installed as an internal drive within Sun servers or workstations. Its primary use case was for regular data backups, ensuring business continuity and providing a means for data recovery in case of hardware failure or data loss. The 4mm DAT format also offered good longevity for archival purposes.