Tape storage is not a topic that sets hearts aflutter with excitement, although it's probably one of the biggest causes of sleepless nights for IT staff. Yet there are so many different tape formats and schemes for backup, it can be a nightmare to come up with a solution that's best for your situation.
We have two scenarios for this comparison and while the first has rather the conservative backup requirements the second is a tad more serious.
Even so, the second Scenario can generally get by with relatively inexpensive solutions; there is no need to bring in autoloaders the size of a fridge on a pallet lifter just yet.
OK, so what did we receive? For the first Scenario we received a VXA, a DLT, and two DDS-4 solutions. Although we asked for internal drives, the HP DAT40 was the only internal drive we received.
The remainder were external, but would certainly be available as an internal solution. The solutions for Scenario 2 were relatively broad with Mammoth-2, Ultrium (LTO), DLT, Super DLT, and two AIT drives (one was AIT-1 and the other AIT-2). The AIT-1 drive was internal and the remainder external, although most of these should be available in an internal form factor.
It is interesting to note that two of the drives supplied could accommodate more than one cartridge. The Sony AIT-2 drive has a four-stacker cartridge that can hold four tapes for a total native capacity of 200GB, while the amazing Overland DLT unit has a 10-tape magazine for a total native capacity of 400GB.
These two units are very different, however. The Sony is small with a rather simple but effective loader mechanism, while the Overland is a very large and heavy unit tipping the scales at over 26kg.
The Overland unit merits further discussion. The loader appears as a separate SCSI device to the internal DLT drive (a Quantum 7000). Your software must include loader functionality to correctly operate the unit.
It has a front control panel with a large LCD menu system that is very easy to navigate. The front door, which covers the tape cartridge, must be opened using the menu system to prevent damaging the tapes or the unit while the loader is in operation.
The 10-stacker cartridge is large and very robust and while very easy to remove and install, nevertheless sits very snugly in the Overland.
The December issue of ZDNet Australia's Technology & Business Magazine contains reviews of tape storage products, including Editor's Choice Awards for the best products. For subscription information, visit Technology & Business.
