DDS2

DDS2, or DDS-2, is the second generation of the Digital Data Storage (DDS) format used for magnetic tape data storage on 4 mm DAT cartridges. It was developed for backup and archival use and followed the DDS-1 generation, with later DDS formats such as DDS-3 and DDS-4 evolving from the same lineage. The DDS family is known for its compact cartridge form factor and support by multiple vendors for desktop and server backup drives.

In operation, DDS-2 uses the standard 4 mm DAT tape cartridge and is designed for use with DAT drives that accept that format. The generation offered higher data density and faster transfer rates than DDS-1, enabling larger backups per cartridge. Media capacity and throughput for DDS-2 varied depending on the specific tape length and drive implementation, but typical deployments provided several gigabytes of native capacity per cartridge, with many drives offering compression to increase usable space.

DDS-2 saw widespread adoption during the 1990s and early 2000s as a cost-effective backup solution for small to mid-sized environments. As storage technology advanced, later generations in the DDS line and competing formats provided greater capacities and speeds, leading to a decline in DDS-2 usage. Some organizations maintain DDS-2 media in legacy systems or archival workflows, and older drives that support DDS-2 remain capable of reading its tapes where hardware compatibility exists.