Magnetic tape is the most popular storage medium for large data sets accessed and processed sequentially Computer systems also use it as a backup storage for data stored on on-line storage devices such as a hard-disk.
Magnetic tape medium is a plastic ribbon usually 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch wide and 50 to 2400 feet long. Its surface has a coating (such as iron oxide or chromium dioxide) that can record data by magnetization. Data is recorded on the coated surface as tiny, invisible magnetized and non-magnetized spots (representing 1s and 0s). Tape ribbon itself is stored in reels, or a small cartridge, or cassette.
Like in the case of audio or video tapes, we can erase old data and recorded new data on magnetic tapes as well. As we record new data on it, it erases old data in the same area automatically. However, we can read stored data many times without effecting it.
Magnetic tape is a type of physical storage media for different kinds of data. It is considered an analog solution, in contrast to more recent types of storage media, such as solid state disk (SSD) drives. Magnetic tape has been a major vehicle for audio and binary data storage for several decades, and is still part of data storage for some systems.
Originally, magnetic tape was designed to record sound. In computing, it holds binary data. In recent years, magnetic tape devices have become more scarce with the emergence of digital imaging and audiovisual media storage. Magnetic tape was used in many of the larger and less complex mainframe computers that predated today’s personal computers (PC). One use of magnetic tape that still exists is tape vaulting for the storage of physical records. In this process, technicians and other professionals back up digital data to magnetic tape to secure it in physical vaults as a redundant strategy in the event of disasters or other emergencies.