A tape drive, also known as a streamer, is a peripheral device that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape or a punched tape. It is typically used for archival storage of data stored on hard drives. Tape drives are considered sequential-access, and must read all preceding data to read any one particular piece of data. They are not necesarily the fastest form of data system, reaching only around 20mbps, but are long lasting and cost efficient. Tape drives can be connected with parallel port, IDE, or SCSI.

Tapes and drives come in various formats. These formats include:

• Digital Data Storage (DDS),
• Digital Linear Tape (DLT),
• Linear Tape-Open (LTO), and
• Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT).

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