|
|
|
 |
Exabyte VXA-2 PacketLoader 1x10 1UFrom STORAGE Magazine Vol 4 No 03 - June 2004 Exabyte has been busy over the past couple of years heavily promoting its VXA format as the best candidate to replace DDS - and its latest autoloader strengthens its case even more. The PacketLoader impresses with its very low profile, as this is the first 1U or 1.75in. high system we've seen. Capacity isn't a casualty as it comes equipped with a single VXA-2 drive and the ten internal media slots allow it to deliver a native capacity of 800GB using 230metre V23 cartridges. Build quality is good and the cartridge loading slot in the centre is covered by a motorised door to keep dirt and dust at bay. Alongside is a handy LCD display panel and control pad for manually configuring the autoloader and tape drive. It's worth noting that the price includes an internal bar code reader which at this price point is normally only offered as an optional extra. Web management is also worth considering as this option provides good remote access. The additional internal card provides a 10/100BaseTX Ethernet port and can be assigned an IP address from the front panel. The PacketLoader uses a simple internal design as it has a large toothed wheel in the centre with the cartridge holders arranged around its perimeter. Driven by a small motor, it rotates in front of the VXA-2 tape drive mounted at the rear, and a separate pusher arm in the centre loads tapes into the drive and pulls them back into their slots. The main thing to remember with this arrangement is that tapes must be placed backwards into the loading bay. The browser management interface is a tidy affair with the home page providing plenty of status information. You can see at a glance what the loader and drive are up to, whether the internal temperature is within acceptable tolerances, and if the front door is open or closed. An inventory table gives a compete rundown on the location of all loaded cartridges along with details of their barcode label. Full access to all configuration parameters is provided so you could lock down the local operator panel and manage the device entirely from a remote location. The SCSI IDs of the loader and drive can be modified as can the loader emulation, Ethernet, SNMP, FTP and email details. Access to both the front panel and browser interface can also be password protected. A basic statistics screen keep you appraised of areas such as the number of cartridge and drive loads and you can initiate a full diagnostics on the autoloader as well. To test data transfer rates the autoloader was installed on a dual 1.7GHz Xeon
system running Windows Server 2003, and backup software came courtesy of Computer
Associates Brightstor ARCserve v11 and Veritas Backup Exec 9. Now that the battle lines have been drawn over DDS territory it looks like the fight has come down to two contenders - Sony and Exabyte with their respective AIT and VXA formats. However, although VXA-2 can't match AIT3 for speed and capacity Exabyte's new autoloader is well worth considering, as it looks particularly good value, offers good remote management options and is capable of easily outpacing DDS for backup performance. ST Product: VXA-2 PacketLoader 1x10 1U |
|
| The products referenced in this site are
provided by parties other than BTC. BTC makes no representations regarding
either the products or any information about the products. Any questions,
complaints, or claims regarding the products must be directed to the appropriate
manufacturer or vendor. Click here for usage terms
and conditions.
©2006 Business and Technical Communications Ltd. All rights
reserved. |