Five Stunning Midrange DLT Libraries Put Your Data Down On Tape

By David A. Harvey  When it comes to enterpris e backup, forget giga. Instead, think in terms of tera and peta. And when it comes to managing terabytes and petabytes of data for offline, nearline and off-site backup, pay serious attention to DLT (digital linear tape) libraries. We're convinced that these soon will wrest the backup crown from DAT (digital audio tape) solutions. To view the Report card. For our test of DLT libraries, we asked vendors to ship products configured with 15 to 48 slots, two to four DLT7000 drives, differential or single-ended SCSI interface (all DLT7000 drives are SCSI-2 Fast or Wide) and autochanger technology. The products had to be compatible with Cheyenne's ARCserve for Windows NT version 6.5. Only original library manufacturers were tested. We received Advanced Digital Information Corp.'s Scalar 458 Series, Breece Hill Technologies' Q2.15, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s SureStor DLT Li brary 7215, Overland Data's DLT LibraryXpress and StorageTek's TimberWolf 9730. We also received Compaq Computer Corp.'s DLT Library 15. However, the Compaq product is, at its heart, an HP SureStor Library that has been optimized for the Compaq Insight Manager. Because the unit is an OEM and did not offer DLT7000 drives at the time we tested, we did not include it in our scoring process. These products shared a number of similarities. All shipped with barcode readers and labels; both Overland Data's DLT LibraryXpress and StorageTek's TimberWolf 9730 one-upped the barcode ante by employing a camera system that recorded and deciphered the image of the label, rather than simply scanning the barcodes. These devices also are fast approaching commodity-item status. Plug them in, configure the software and set them about their tasks. Performance is not a differentiator either (see "How We Tested DLT Libraries" on page 124). Communications Breakdo wn The missing link for these libraries was alerting and notification via tie-ins to common messaging protocols. The only library to deliver this functionality was Compaq's enhanced version of HP's SureStor 7215. With firmware hooks to its Compaq Insight Manager server management system, the Compaq library can alert administrators to critical hardware information. And, though it's true that tape software, notably ARCserve 6.5, provides a virtual cornucopia of messaging methods, some bits of device-specific information--such as enclosure temperature, drive or robotics failure, or power problems--should be delivered to administrators by means other than the front panel. The good news is that all six libraries support the power-troika platforms--Windows NT, NetWare and Unix--as well as multiple backup solutions. Most of these libraries broke the average barrier, and two even ventured into the realm of the truly outstanding. But after the tapes stopped spinning in our lab, Overland Data's DLT Library X press stood out. Offering exemplary scalability, an excellent operator panel, superior tape handling and a thoughtful, well-crafted design, the DLT Library Xpress was hard to beat.

For the Side Bar on Raiding The Stacks: Array Alternatives How We Tested DLT Libraries The DLT libraries features chart , in Acrobat format. Other Reviews SOHO Firewall Routers: ISDN Branch Office Security By Mike Fratto Related Links Storage and Backup Management Enterprise Backup Software That Keeps Your Data Afloat DBMS Backup Agents: Because The Data Matters Tape Drives & Autoloaders Answer Backup Call