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Tape Backup Support in Current NovaBACKUP Versions (LTFS Required)

If you're looking to back up to tape with a current version of NovaBACKUP, this article explains what changed, what your tape hardware needs to support, and how to get a tape target configured.

 What Changed

Starting with NovaBACKUP 21.x, native support for single tape drives was removed from the current backup engine. Tape devices may still appear in the Restore index, and existing non-spanning tape backups created with older versions can typically still be restored, but new backups can no longer be written to tape using the old, direct tape-drive method in 21.x and newer.

How Tape Backup Works Now

Instead of writing to a tape drive directly, the current version treats a tape as a standard disk-like destination, provided the tape is formatted using LTFS (Linear Tape File System). LTFS presents the tape to Windows as a mounted drive with a normal file/folder structure, which lets NovaBACKUP back up to it the same way it would back up to a Local Backup device.

Requirements
  1. An LTFS-compatible tape drive. LTFS is natively supported starting with LTO-5 drives and newer. Older LTO generations (LTO-4 and earlier) do not support LTFS, and tape backup with the current version is not possible on that hardware.
  2. The tape formatted as LTFS. This is done using tools provided by your tape drive or library manufacturer, not through NovaBACKUP.
  3. The LTFS driver from your tape manufacturer, installed on the backup client machine. This driver is what makes the LTFS-formatted tape appear as a mounted drive letter in Windows.
Setup Steps
  1. Confirm your tape drive model supports LTFS (LTO-5 or newer). Check with your tape hardware manufacturer if you're unsure.
  2. Format the tape as LTFS using your tape manufacturer's formatting tool.
  3. Install the LTFS driver provided by your tape manufacturer so the tape mounts as a drive letter in Windows.
  4. In NovaBACKUP, configure a backup job targeting that mounted drive letter the same way you would configure a Local Backup device.

Since LTFS formatting and driver installation both come from the tape hardware vendor, reach out to your tape manufacturer for the exact steps and driver download for your specific drive or library model — they'll have the most accurate instructions for your hardware.

Things to Double-Check Before You Start
  • Confirm the exact tape drive/library model and generation. LTFS requires LTO-5 or newer; if the drive is LTO-4 or earlier, LTFS formatting isn't an option on that hardware, and tape backup with the current client version won't work at all.
  • Don't confuse this with ShowLegacyDevices=1. There's a separate nsconfig.ini setting (ShowLegacyDevices=1, added under the [Configuration] section) that re-exposes legacy local storage device types, including the old single tape drive option, mapped network drives, USB external drives, and RDX drives. This is intended for existing legacy setups that were already configured before upgrading, not as a way to add new tape backups on modern LTO-5+ hardware. If you're setting up tape backup fresh, use the LTFS method above rather than this setting.
  • Verify the LTFS driver is installed and the tape mounts as a drive letter before configuring the job. NovaBACKUP will only be able to select it as a Local Backup-style target once Windows can see it as a normal mounted drive.
Related Articles
  • How to Enable Legacy Storage Devices in NovaBACKUP (21.x and newer versions)
  • Current NovaBACKUP Version / Changelog
  • Backup

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