Tape is still the leader in data backup
Something for a long time we did not talk about classic data backup systems - tape libraries. After all, whatever some storage vendors say (focused exclusively on disk devices), tape libraries remain the most important means of backup and long-term archiving. In 2012, a survey was conducted among North American CIOs about their plans for using tapes. So, 87% confirmed that they will increase their use, or at least leave it at the same level. And who is the leading manufacturer of tape libraries? According to storagenewsletter.com, HP is the leader, having sold 31% of devices in 2012, almost twice the size of its nearest competitor. Despite the fact that HP supports the DDS and LTO standards, today we will talk only about the latter, since LTO sales account for 94% of all drive types.
In 2013, the model range has changed quite a lot compared to last year. Firstly, at the end of 2012. A new generation of LTO-6 drives has been released, which made it possible to more than double the capacity of a single cartridge as compared to LTO-5 - up to 6.25TB (including compression), and the write speed has increased almost one and a half times - to 1.44TB / hour. All this has significantly increased the density of storage, while the cost per terabyte has decreased.
Starting with the fifth version of the Ultrium standard, the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) file system has become available on tape. This file system allows you to work with LTO-5 and 6 cartridges on external tape drives with both a USB device (flash memory) and an external drive. LTFS uses the first tape tracks for the file system index.
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The exclusive HP Ultrium Tape Drive feature — a system for comparing and adjusting tape recording speeds with incoming data flow — allows the device to synchronize its speed dynamically and continuously with the data transfer rate from the server. This feature allows you to increase the speed of reading and writing data to tape and the reliability of both the drive itself and the tape cartridge. The reliability of the drive and the cartridge is also ensured by a special mechanism for automatically positioning the cartridge when it is loaded and the mechanism for automatic cleaning of read / write heads.
Another new useful feature is the HP proprietary utility TapeAssure. It allows you to increase the efficiency of using tape libraries and cartridges, providing proactive monitoring of the state, performance, utilization and health of drives, as well as backup tools. This software is available for free download.
HP sells both individual drives (they can be installed in special rack shelves) and tape libraries. Tape libraries are designed for automated data backup. Simultaneous use of multiple tape-drive mechanisms increases library performance and reduces the time required to write and read backups. The libraries are equipped with external SAS, SCSI or Fiber Channel interfaces, providing simultaneous connectivity to multiple servers and integration into a SAN storage network.
The range of products for automated backup includes entry-level devices: Autoloader 1/8 G2 autoloader and MSL2024 and MSL4048 tape libraries, MSL 6480 mid-level tape libraries and ESL-G3 enterprise-level tape libraries.
The autoloader supports only one tape drive with a SCSI, SAS or FC interface and has only 8 tape slots.
The MSL series libraries (including models: 2024, 4048, 8048, 8096) can already support several tape drives (with a SCSI, SAS or FC interface) and have a significantly larger capacity due to the increased number of slots.
Models MSL8048 and MSL8096, as well as the EML line, are removed from production, they are replaced by a new model MSL 6480, which was announced in the summer of 2013. and supports scaling within one rack up to 7 modules. Each module supports up to 6 half-height drives, up to 80 cartridges, up to 240 TB (compression 1: 2.5). When installing 7 6480 modules in one server rack, you can receive up to 42 drives per rack with a total cartridge volume of up to 3.5 PB and a write speed of up to 60 TB / hour
HP StoreEver MSL Tape Libraries
MSL libraries support the ability to create multiple virtual libraries (partitions) within a single physical device. Also, to increase capacity and speed, you can combine two MSL libraries into one logical library using a special mechanism installed in the slot of a tape drive.
Hi-End class libraries - ESL-G3 - have only box versions in separate modules (cabinets). These libraries can be scaled horizontally, i.e. using special mechanisms, up to 16 modules can be combined into a single library. Such a single library will have a common tape pool available for any tape drive, no matter which of the individual modules of the ESL-G3 library it is located in.
The ESL-G3 library can support up to 12 tape drives and up to 306 slots in the control module. An expansion module supports up to 12 tape drives and up to 444 slots. In its maximum configuration, the ESL-G3 library can support up to 96 tape drives and more than 11,000 slots. ESL-G3 support only the FC - 4 Gb / s or 8 Gb / s interface.
ESL-G3 has high availability due to tape drives, redundant fans and hot-swappable power supplies. In addition, the ESL-G3 libraries support the possibility of reserving access channels to both tape drives and the library robot.
In June 2013, high-capacity expansion modules (High Density Expansion Modules) for up to 780 cartridges were announced for the ESL-G3 models. Using these expansion modules, the number of supported slots increased almost 2 times from 7,100 to 11,600, which is equivalent to 72 PB of data (including compression). This density was achieved by changing the design of the modules - now the slots are located on a rotating drum, along which the robot slides. The robots in the ESL-G3 library now work in Active / Active mode (in previous Active / Passive models), which has increased the library's performance.
Thus, the updated range of HP tape libraries is perfect for organizations of any size - from a small office to a corporate data center.
In 2013, the model range has changed quite a lot compared to last year. Firstly, at the end of 2012. A new generation of LTO-6 drives has been released, which made it possible to more than double the capacity of a single cartridge as compared to LTO-5 - up to 6.25TB (including compression), and the write speed has increased almost one and a half times - to 1.44TB / hour. All this has significantly increased the density of storage, while the cost per terabyte has decreased.
Starting with the fifth version of the Ultrium standard, the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) file system has become available on tape. This file system allows you to work with LTO-5 and 6 cartridges on external tape drives with both a USB device (flash memory) and an external drive. LTFS uses the first tape tracks for the file system index.
')
The exclusive HP Ultrium Tape Drive feature — a system for comparing and adjusting tape recording speeds with incoming data flow — allows the device to synchronize its speed dynamically and continuously with the data transfer rate from the server. This feature allows you to increase the speed of reading and writing data to tape and the reliability of both the drive itself and the tape cartridge. The reliability of the drive and the cartridge is also ensured by a special mechanism for automatically positioning the cartridge when it is loaded and the mechanism for automatic cleaning of read / write heads.
Another new useful feature is the HP proprietary utility TapeAssure. It allows you to increase the efficiency of using tape libraries and cartridges, providing proactive monitoring of the state, performance, utilization and health of drives, as well as backup tools. This software is available for free download.
HP sells both individual drives (they can be installed in special rack shelves) and tape libraries. Tape libraries are designed for automated data backup. Simultaneous use of multiple tape-drive mechanisms increases library performance and reduces the time required to write and read backups. The libraries are equipped with external SAS, SCSI or Fiber Channel interfaces, providing simultaneous connectivity to multiple servers and integration into a SAN storage network.
The range of products for automated backup includes entry-level devices: Autoloader 1/8 G2 autoloader and MSL2024 and MSL4048 tape libraries, MSL 6480 mid-level tape libraries and ESL-G3 enterprise-level tape libraries.
The autoloader supports only one tape drive with a SCSI, SAS or FC interface and has only 8 tape slots.
The MSL series libraries (including models: 2024, 4048, 8048, 8096) can already support several tape drives (with a SCSI, SAS or FC interface) and have a significantly larger capacity due to the increased number of slots.
Models MSL8048 and MSL8096, as well as the EML line, are removed from production, they are replaced by a new model MSL 6480, which was announced in the summer of 2013. and supports scaling within one rack up to 7 modules. Each module supports up to 6 half-height drives, up to 80 cartridges, up to 240 TB (compression 1: 2.5). When installing 7 6480 modules in one server rack, you can receive up to 42 drives per rack with a total cartridge volume of up to 3.5 PB and a write speed of up to 60 TB / hour
HP StoreEver MSL Tape Libraries
MSL libraries support the ability to create multiple virtual libraries (partitions) within a single physical device. Also, to increase capacity and speed, you can combine two MSL libraries into one logical library using a special mechanism installed in the slot of a tape drive.
Hi-End class libraries - ESL-G3 - have only box versions in separate modules (cabinets). These libraries can be scaled horizontally, i.e. using special mechanisms, up to 16 modules can be combined into a single library. Such a single library will have a common tape pool available for any tape drive, no matter which of the individual modules of the ESL-G3 library it is located in.
The ESL-G3 library can support up to 12 tape drives and up to 306 slots in the control module. An expansion module supports up to 12 tape drives and up to 444 slots. In its maximum configuration, the ESL-G3 library can support up to 96 tape drives and more than 11,000 slots. ESL-G3 support only the FC - 4 Gb / s or 8 Gb / s interface.
ESL-G3 has high availability due to tape drives, redundant fans and hot-swappable power supplies. In addition, the ESL-G3 libraries support the possibility of reserving access channels to both tape drives and the library robot.
In June 2013, high-capacity expansion modules (High Density Expansion Modules) for up to 780 cartridges were announced for the ESL-G3 models. Using these expansion modules, the number of supported slots increased almost 2 times from 7,100 to 11,600, which is equivalent to 72 PB of data (including compression). This density was achieved by changing the design of the modules - now the slots are located on a rotating drum, along which the robot slides. The robots in the ESL-G3 library now work in Active / Active mode (in previous Active / Passive models), which has increased the library's performance.
Thus, the updated range of HP tape libraries is perfect for organizations of any size - from a small office to a corporate data center.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/200518/
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