One drive, two magazines, no tape juggling
The Quantum SuperLoader 3 takes one or two removable 8-cartridge magazines and a single half-height LTO-9, LTO-8 or LTO-7 drive[src]. The robot swaps tapes for you, so a week of nightly backups runs unattended instead of someone changing a cartridge every evening. A single front-loader slot imports individual tapes, and the magazines bulk-load the rest[src]. The barcode reader is standard, which lets your backup software track every cartridge by label[src].
What 8 or 16 slots hold on each drive generation
The one-drive ceiling
Most small sites solve this with incremental-forever backups to disk and a weekly copy to tape, which keeps the tape job small. When the weekly copy itself outgrows the night, or you need more than sixteen cartridges online, the next step is a library with more drives: the Scalar i3 starts at 25 slots and takes up to 24 drives. Our autoloader vs tape library guide covers the decision.
SuperLoader 3 technical specifications
| Specification | SuperLoader 3 |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 2U rackmount, single tape drive[src] |
| Slots | 8 or 16, in one or two removable 8-cartridge magazines; single front-loader slot[src] |
| Drive options | LTO-9 HH (12 Gb SAS), LTO-8 HH (6 Gb SAS), LTO-7 HH (6 Gb SAS)[src] |
| Media | LTO-9 drive: read/write LTO-9 and LTO-8 · LTO-8 drive: LTO-8, LTO-7 M8, LTO-7 · LTO-7 drive: LTO-7, LTO-6, read LTO-5[src] |
| Native transfer rate | 300 MB/s (1.08 TB per hour) for each drive option[src] |
| Host interface | Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644)[src] |
| Management | Integrated web-based management over 10/100 Ethernet: status, remote diagnostics, logs, configuration, firmware upgrades, inventory[src] |
| Dimensions and weight | 45 × 8.9 × 75.46 cm (W × H × L); 22.7 kg[src] |
| Power | 90–256 VAC[src] |
| Reliability | MSBF 1.5 million; MTTR under 30 minutes; drive load/unload life 80,000 cycles[src] |
| Security | AES-256 hardware encryption; WORM with WORM cartridges[src] |
| Included | One HH drive, one or two magazines, 30 barcode labels, 2 m mini-SAS cable, power cords (including UK), DATASTOR Shield single-server backup (Windows only)[src] |
From Quantum's SuperLoader 3 datasheet, DS00379A-v24. Quantum's deduplicated capacity (up to 5,760 TB) assumes DATASTOR Shield at a 20:1 ratio it calls typical; we do not plan on it.
Three things to settle before ordering
A SAS port on the backup server
LTO-9 reads one generation back
Rotate a magazine, not single tapes
Get a SuperLoader 3 quoted
- We match the drive generation to the tapes you already hold and the capacity you need.
- We check your server for a suitable SAS port and add an HBA if needed.
- We check your backup software against Quantum’s compatibility guide.
- We quote media, barcode labels, a cleaning cartridge and Quantum support with the unit.
Quantum SuperLoader 3: common questions
How many tapes does a Quantum SuperLoader 3 hold?
Eight or sixteen, in one or two removable 8-cartridge magazines, plus a single front-loading slot for importing individual tapes. With LTO-9 media, 16 cartridges is 288 TB native; Quantum quotes 720 TB at 2.5:1 compression.
Which LTO drives does the SuperLoader 3 take?
One half-height drive: LTO-9 with a 12 Gb SAS interface, or LTO-8 or LTO-7 with 6 Gb SAS. An LTO-9 SuperLoader reads and writes LTO-9 and LTO-8 cartridges. There is no LTO-10 option: the drive choices are LTO-9, LTO-8 and LTO-7 half-height, and Quantum’s LTO-10 material describes full-height drives only.
How fast is the SuperLoader 3?
Each of the three drive options streams 300 MB/s native. Quantum quotes up to 750 MB/s (2.7 TB per hour) compressed with LTO-9; its table gives 2.16 TB per hour compressed for the LTO-8 and LTO-7 options. Because there is only one drive, that rate is also the ceiling for the whole autoloader.
What comes with a SuperLoader 3?
Quantum lists one half-height LTO drive, one or two 8-cartridge magazines, 30 data barcode labels, a 2 m mini-SAS cable and power cords including a UK cord, plus DATASTOR backup software. The barcode reader and web-based remote management are standard.
Do I have to use the DATASTOR software that comes with it?
No. DATASTOR Shield is included as a single-server backup product and runs on Windows only. Most organisations run it from the backup software they already use, such as Veeam, Commvault or Backup Exec; we check your software and version against Quantum’s compatibility guide before you order.
Does the SuperLoader 3 have Active Vault or Ransom Block?
No. Those are features of the Scalar libraries’ security framework. The SuperLoader 3 offers AES-256 hardware encryption and WORM cartridge support, and its magazines are removable, so the offline copy is the magazine you take out and store. If you want the vault inside the library, look at the Scalar i3.
Can Servnet supply a SuperLoader 3 with media and labels?
Yes. We can supply and quote the SuperLoader 3 with the drive generation and magazine count you need, LTO media and barcode labels, an HBA if your server lacks a suitable SAS port, and a Quantum support plan.
More Quantum products we supply and quote
Related Servnet guides, tools and hardware
Sources
Every specification on this page comes from Quantum's own product pages, datasheets and tech briefs, listed below with their dates. Where Quantum's web copy and a datasheet differ, we use the datasheet. Figures are confirmed against the current revision when we quote.
- Quantum SuperLoader 3 · web page, read 29 Oct 2026
- SuperLoader 3 datasheet (DS00379A-v24) · PDF dated 24 Oct 2025
- LTO Tape Drives datasheet (DS00457A-v13) · PDF dated 12 Jun 2025
Quantum, Scalar, SuperLoader, DXi, ActiveScale and iLayer are trademarks of Quantum Corporation. Linear Tape-Open, LTO and Ultrium are trademarks of HPE, IBM and Quantum. Servnet is an independent UK IT reseller; this page is our own guide to the range.
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