AIT Technology FAQs

• Why was the AIT format developed?
• Is the AIT format a standard format?
• Is AIT compatible with other 8mm data cartridges?
• For what applications is AIT suited?
• What is AME?
• About how long is the media life?
• What is MIC or R-MIC?
• Do AIT drives require cleaning like other tape mechanisms?
• Does Sony have a roadmap that includes future generations of AIT technology?

• What is WORM?
• Which AIT drives offer WORM functionality?
• In what different capacities is the WORM media available?
• What is the difference between AIT WORM and standard AIT?
• Are WORM-enabled AIT drives backward read and write compatible?
• Will WORM-enabled AIT drives read and write AIT media already written by standard drive?
• What markets and applications is AIT WORM used for?
• What are the advantages of AIT WORM over other WORM technologies, such as MO and CD-R/DVD-R?
• How does AIT WORM differentiate from StorageTek's VolSafe?
• How long is the archival life of AIT WORM media?

AIT Technology FAQs

• Why was the AIT format developed?

  The AIT format was originally introduced in 1996 to offer customers a new family of leadership tape solutions spanning applications from the low-end to the enterprise. AIT's strengths and uniqueness lie in its small form-factor implementation, together with its optimum combination of capacity, performance, reliability and cost. [Return to Top]

• Is the AIT format a standard format?

  Yes. The current AIT formats have been standardized by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) and ECMA has submitted these standards to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ISO registration. [Return to Top]

• Is AIT compatible with other 8mm data cartridges?

  The AIT format is a robust data storage format that sets new performance and capacity standards for high-density recording. Its design is optimized for recording the AIT AME media and will not accommodate other media types or formats. Only specifically AIT-encoded media will be accepted by the AIT drives. All other media will be rejected. [Return to Top]

• For what applications is AIT suited?

  In addition to conventional unattended backup and archiving, AIT is also suited to a wide range of new applications, such as image/multimedia storage and retrieval and real-time data acquisition as well as Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) data storage and retrieval. [Return to Top]

• What is AME?

  Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) is the tape formulation used by AIT. Key characteristics include 100% pure cobalt magnetic layer design, the absence of binder material to prevent tape head contamination, and a "Diamond-Like Carbon" (DLC) protective coating for extreme durability. AME also permits very high density magnetic recording, thereby allowing the AIT family roadmap to scale to very large capacity points in the future. [Return to Top]

• About how long is the media life?

  Based on media life experiments, it is estimated to be up to 30 years, similar to other current tape media. [Return to Top]

• What is MIC or R-MIC?

  MIC is the abbreviation for Memory-in-Cassette, which is a semi-conductor memory chip embedded within the AIT media and provides the storage of specific drive and media formats and statistics. This memory chip provides fast drive access to this information and allows the AIT drive to load and search much faster than would otherwise be possible. R-MIC is the same as MIC except that the communication path between this chip and the drive is provided by a low-power, close-proximity radio frequency (RF) path, rather than a direct mechanical connection. The R-MIC chip also contains specific non-alterable memory that is used for the AIT WORM implementation. [Return to Top]

• Do AIT drives require cleaning like other tape mechanisms?

  AIT incorporates several technologies to reduce the need for periodic cleaning. The drive constantly monitors head output and invokes the built-in Active Head Cleaner when it senses possible contamination. Under extreme environmental or high duty-cycle conditions, a cleaning cycle using a special AIT cleaning tape may be required. [Return to Top]

• Does Sony have a roadmap that includes future generations of AIT technology?

  Yes. Since 1997, Sony has outlined a migration path for AIT that looks out to a sixth generation member. Sony's strategy, which is to double capacity about every two years, is testimony to its proven component technology advancements, and to its tape recording research and development accomplishments. [Return to Top]

AIT WORM FAQs

• What is WORM?

  WORM stands for "Write-Once-Read-Many." WORM media cannot be re-written or re-formatted. However, writing additional data to the unused portion of the media is permitted. WORM recording is used primarily to archive data that cannot be easily altered or destroyed. There are several government-mandated applications and industries that must utilize WORM technology to store their business data. [Return to Top]

• Which AIT drives offer WORM functionality?

  Selected models of the AIT-2, AIT-2 Turbo, AIT-3, AIT-4 and AIT-5 drives offer WORM functionality. The basic specifications, including capacity, transfer rate, and interface, do not change. These drives will also accommodate non-WORM media. Check with your AIT solutions provider for more information regarding the support of AIT WORM capability. [Return to Top]

• In what different capacities is the WORM media available?

  The WORM media is available in a 50GB native (130GB compressed) capacity AIT-2 WORM cartridge, a 100GB native (260GB compressed) capacity AIT-3 WORM cartridge, a 200GB native (520GB compressed) capacity AIT-4 WORM cartridge, and a 400GB native (1,040GB compressed) capacity AIT-5 WORM cartridge. [Return to Top]

• What is the difference between AIT WORM and standard AIT?

  The AIT drives supporting WORM have special firmware that handles both the WORM and standard AIT re-writable media. The contents of the auxiliary memory (R-MIC) in the WORM cartridge are encoded differently to activate the WORM firmware in these AIT drives. [Return to Top]

• Are WORM-enabled AIT drives backward read and write compatible?

  Yes, WORM-enabled AIT drives function the same as standard AIT drives and are backward compatible with all other AIT non-WORM media. [Return to Top]

• Will WORM-enabled AIT drives read and write AIT media already written by standard drive?

  Yes. WORM-enabled drives are multi-function drives. They can read and write both standard, re-writable and WORM media. [Return to Top]

• What markets and applications is AIT WORM used for?

  AIT WORM is used for markets and applications that require write-once data protection, such as certain government, financial, and healthcare markets. [Return to Top]

• What are the advantages of AIT WORM over other WORM technologies, such as MO and CD-R/DVD-R?

  The AIT WORM drive and media cost per GB is less expensive when compared to MO and CD-R/DVD-R. In addition, AIT WORM offers much greater scalability, based on the higher AIT WORM media capacities available. For example, the current highest capacity optical WORM products offer 20GB to 30GB per media whereas AIT WORM starts at 50GB and scales to 400GB native (1,040GB compressed) per cartridge. [Return to Top]

• How does AIT WORM differentiate from StorageTek's VolSafe?

  AIT WORM is a far less expensive total implementation. [Return to Top]

• How long is the archival life of AIT WORM media?

  Up to 30 years. [Return to Top]