Welcome to the SymplyATOM software
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Welcome to the SymplyATOM software
- About the Installer
- Installing SymplyATOM
- Using SymplyATOM
- Known Issues / Limitations
This release some known issues and limitations.
SymplyATOM software is designed for working with LTFS formatted media and troubleshooting diagnostic testing. It is intended only as a Support & Maintenance Utility and should not be considered as an alternative to commercial backup/archive software packages, that provide cataloguing / databasing and checksums.
For more information on commercial backup/archive software packages read this support article:
- [What software applications are Symply LTO products compatible with?]
It is necessary to install the following supporting software and drivers before you are able to begin testing SymplyATOM.
The pre-release of SymplyATOM is not a signed application and therefore will require the macOS gatekeeper to be bypassed. While this is inconvenient, it does not indicate the App is not trustworthy. It is common that pre-release Applications are not signed.
About the Installer
We've created a NEW (as of August, 2025) combined installer package for SymplyATOM. This will install all the necessary software and device drivers to support all of our SymplyLTO products. The installer also sets the preferences for SymplyATOM, there should be no need to modify SymplyATOM's preferences after running this installer.
If you have installed an earlier version of SymplyATOM you should download and run this latest installer package to ensure you have all the latest drivers and software.
Installer Read Me
Information about security prompts during installation
During the course of this installation you will be prompted a number of times by Apple's User-Approved Kernel Extension framework to approve a number of third-party kernel extensions (KEXTs) to be installed and loaded.
Here is a list of those KEXTs being installed by the SymplyATOM installer:
/Library/Extensions
- ATTOExpressSASHBA2.kext
- ATTOExpressSASHBA4.kext
- ATTOExpressSASHBA5.kext
/Library/Filesystems
- macfuse.fs
These KEXTs are part of the software and tools required to add Symply LTO support to your Mac. A complete list of the software and tools can be found below:
- SymplyATOM
- macFUSE
- IBM SDE (LTFS)
- IBM ITDT
- ATTO360 Storage
- ATTO SAS HBA Drivers
Installing SymplyATOM
Click the disk to [download] the combined installer
Our new macOS installer package is signed and notarised by Apple and as such there should be no issues with Apple's Gatekeeper security checks when running the installer.
Using SymplyATOM
SymplyATOM performs a scan for any attached LTO drives when fist launched. If you connect a drive after launching SymplyATOM you can re-scan for attached drives by clicking the SCAN FOR DRIVES button.
If you have a new, blank tape inserted in your drive you can choose to format it for use as a LTFS tape by clicking FORMAT TAPE, you'll be asked for a 6 character, alphanumeric label for your tape (we recommend using the barcode of the tape for ease of locating the tape at a later date) and click OK.
To mount a tape for read/write operations simply click on the MOUNT TAPE button (having inserted a LTFS formatted tape of a generation supported by the drive).
For more detail on using SymplyATOM, please refer to the Help in the App or refer to our [support pages].
Known Issues / Limitations
- Multiple drive operations are not yet supported. The software only support single tape drive operations, some multiple drive operations may cause the application to fail or display incorrect information.
- When re-formatting a tape for LTFS, the confirmation dialog remains in place for the duration of the format process. The application may appear unresponsive, but is still working; as noted by the progress wheel in the main application window
- Clicking UNMOUNT may cause the application to become temporarily unresponsive whilst it waits for feedback from the drive which may be spooling the tape to the correct position ready to be ejected
- After performing a RUN TEST or HOST VALIDATION it is recommended that SymplyATOM is quit and restarted before performing any further operations
If you have any questions please submit a [support ticket]