Kind of funny picture for the tape backup -- that's a stereo recorder, not a data backup device.
(7 track was the standard for 36 bit PDP-10s, 6 bits of data and one of parity, and some earlier IBM machines as well.)
The above describes a typical transport system; however, manufacturers engineered many alternative designs. For example, some designs used a horizontal transport deck where the operator simply set the tape reel in the supply reel bay, closed the door and pressed the load button, then a vacuum system would draw the tape along the path and onto a take-up hub within the mechanism.
Back in the day, I used a 9-track tape drive like this. It was quite the thing to watch it mount the tape. A while ago I found a video of it[0].
config management has been around for a long time...