Encryption Technology for the HP StorageWorks Ultrium LTO4 Tape Drive White Paper

Overview

This white paper introduces the concept of encryption technology and its application in the HP StorageWorks Ultrium LTO4 Tape Drive. It also describes the basic cryptographic functions which are used in a tape encryption solution. Encryption is derived from the Greek word kryptos, which means hidden. It is the process of concealing information from unauthorized parties by means of a mathematical cipher, an algorithm that disguises the underlying text unless the reader has the decipher code. In encryption technology, the cipher is a complex mathematical algorithm that is applied to the unencrypted data, also known as plaintext, to produce encrypted data known as cipher text.