Air gap
Once exported and stored offline, tape creates a physical separation that online attackers cannot directly modify.
DPX use case
Tape Support
Tape support still matters for long-term retention, offline copies, and ransomware resilience. DPX treats tape as a first-class backup and archive target.
Keep tape in the recovery architecture
Many organizations still rely on tape because it solves problems that disk and cloud do not always solve cleanly: offline isolation, long shelf life, predictable media rotation, and cost-effective retention. DPX supports tape libraries, virtual tape libraries, standalone tape devices, tape media pools, and tape restore workflows. The documentation defines a tape library as a hardware unit with multiple physical or virtual drives, tape slots, and a media changer, and DPX treats VTL devices like regular tape libraries. That lets teams keep existing tape investments while modernizing the rest of the backup environment.
Tape for archive, isolation, and recovery
DPX tape support gives backup teams practical ways to keep protected data outside the normal production attack surface:
- Use supported tape libraries, virtual tape libraries, and standalone devices as backup and archive destinations.
- Use media pools and device operations to manage retention, reuse, and daily tape operations.
- Use qualified LTO media, including LTO-9 where supported, with the operational requirements documented by Catalogic.
- Restore from tape when archived or offline data is needed for recovery, audit, or investigation.
Why tape remains useful
Tape remains valuable in protection designs that prioritize offline isolation, long retention, and cost control.
Long retention
Tape remains a practical destination for data that must be retained for years but is rarely restored.
Cost control
Tape can reduce the cost of keeping infrequently accessed recovery points compared with keeping everything on disk.
Tape support questions
Does DPX still support tape libraries?
Yes. DPX supports tape devices and media changers that meet the documented compatibility requirements, and it treats a Virtual Tape Library as a regular tape library.
Can tape be part of ransomware recovery?
Yes. Offline tape can provide an air-gapped copy that is separated from the network. For a layered plan, combine tape with proactive ransomware protection and immutable backup storage.
Where does tape fit with cloud?
Tape and cloud solve different retention needs. Tape is useful for physical isolation and long-term retention; cloud integration is useful for scalable off-site copies and object storage workflows.
Related DPX resources
Learn more about DPX tape support, archival, and data protection.
Catalogic DPX Product Brief
Catalogic DPX product brief: block-level and agentless VM backup, Instant VM Restore, GuardMode ransomware detection, immutable vStor storage, and long-term retention to tape or cloud.
DPX for DataCore Swarm
Product brief: DPX adds an independent, S3-connected backup copy on vStor for DataCore Swarm data, with licensing that scales with deployment size to protect partner margin.
Catalogic DPX for Proxmox VE Datasheet
DPX 4.16 adds agentless Proxmox VE backup to Catalogic's enterprise data protection platform, giving mixed VMware, Hyper-V, and Proxmox estates a single console for backup, recovery, and ransomware resilience.
Keep tape working in your DPX strategy
See how DPX tape support can strengthen long-term retention and ransomware resilience.
Request Demo