Three top tape library suppliers have confirmed that
they are working to combine inexpensive disc arrays with their
libraries to bolster backup reliability and data
restoration.
Advanced Digital Information (ADIC), Storage Technology and
Spectra Logic are each developing products which will use serial
ATA disc arrays physically and logically tied to tape libraries to
consolidate storage management, speed backups, increase redundancy
and guarantee the fast restoration of mission-critical data.
ADIC said its combination disk/tape library will be available
this autumn. Spectra Logic said its model will be available early
in 2004.
Jonathan Otis, ADIC's senior vice president of technology, said
he sees RAID as adding reliability to his company's libraries
because "you can lose a disc drive and the backup will continue,
while with tape drives, if a drive goes down it will stop the
process and you'll have to start it all over again on another
drive."
Representatives StorageTek would not say when its product will
be available, but they did say the technology is part of an overall
information lifecycle management initiative focused on storing data
on varying forms of media.The aim is to align cost, reliability and
speed of recovery with the importance of the data.
"The next logical step for our partners and customers is doing
tighter integration of components with not just disc to tape, but
[with] networking and management tools," said Tom Balue, manager of
product marketing for StorageTek's Automated Tape Solutions
division.
Balue said one of the biggest advantages of a disc/tape library
combination is that systems administrators can have a single
console that allows them to back up different data sets to disc and
tape without having to learn multiple backup applications.
"What's the advantage of disk over tape? If you lose a tape,
you're in trouble, but if you're using inexpensive disc in a RAID,
the data isn't lost," said Matt Starr, chief technology officer at
Spectra Logic.
Another advantage to combining disk arrays with tape libraries
is that administrators could combine power sources and cooling
systems, Starr said.
Rick Luttrall, director of product marketing for the Nearline
Storage division of leading tape vendor Hewlett-Packard, said HP is
considering combining disk and tape, although he added that
addressing a policy-driven information lifecycle management
strategy that includes intelligent software is far more
important.
Because disk arrays help ensure that data is backed up, they can
help companies meet government regulations which demand that e-mail
be retained and retrievable.
Several companies, including StorageTek and Network Appliance,
have adopted the use of inexpensive Advanced Technology Attachment
disc in RAID configurations as "near-line" storage devices. But the
lengthy archival process still requires that data on secondary
storage be moved by the application server, eating up precious CPU
cycles.
ADIC's Otis said his company would develop hardware that allows
a straight-through process from backup to archive that does
not affect the application server.
Lucas Mearian writes for Computerworld