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EMC on Monday announced a number of changes to its virtual tape library (VTL) product lineup.
The changes to the Clariion Disk Library family include a new entry-level Clariion DL210 model for mid-size enterprises and branch offices, and for the whole line, virtual tape “shredding” capability for deleting data to meet business and regulatory demands.
EMC is also integrating its NetWorker 7.3 backup and recovery software with the Clariion Disk Library line for better media management capabilities. The Hopkinton, Mass.-based storage giant also announced support for the IBM System i (formerly iSeries) platform, and command line interface (CLI) support.
The Clariion DL210 uses 500GB Serial ATA (SATA) disk drives and can scale from four to 24 terabytes of capacity. The appliance enables disk-based backup and restore without requiring customers to change their current operations or backup infrastructures by emulating open systems tape libraries, drives and media. It offers remote replication capabilities and up to 3:1 compression.
Virtual tape has become a popular choice for backup and recovery of critical data because it allows the speed and utility of disk drives to be integrated into the backup environment without any changes to operations or infrastructure. Indeed, EMC, which OEMs its VTL software from FalconStor, now counts more than 600 customers and 35 petabytes backed up to its two-year-old Clariion Disk Library line.
Demand for VTL products is moving down market. A recent Enterprise Strategy Group survey found that 52% of companies with less than $500 million in revenues were considering replacing tape libraries.
With NetWorker 7.3 integration, users will also get a common management platform for both virtual and physical tape assets, allowing full catalog tracking, audit trails and management of data between virtual and physical tape from the primary storage area network (SAN) and over extended distances. The integration makes for better disaster recovery and archiving capabilities, and also better integration of tape assets into an information lifecycle management (ILM) program.
The CL210 and System i-supported models are available now. Pricing begins at around $50,000. Integrated NetWorker 7.3 and virtual tape shredding features will become available later this quarter.
LTO-4 To Include Encryption
EMC wasn’t the only storage vendor with data protection on its mind Monday. HP, IBM and Quantum, the three technology provider companies for the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) program, announced plans to provide encryption capabilities for the LTO Ultrium generation 4 tape drive technology specifications slated for later this year.
LTO Ultrium generation 4 will allow encrypted data to be written to LTO Ultrium tape cartridges and managed via encryption keys to help protect the storage and transport of sensitive information. Numerous high-profile data tape losses since early last year have led to calls for congressional action and increased use of encryption and other security measures.
The LTO-4 roadmap also calls for cartridge capacity to reach up to 1.6 terabytes and data transfer rates of up to 240 megabytes per second, assuming 2:1 data compression. LTO Ultrium Write Once, Read Many (WORM) capabilities that are currently available with generation 3 products are also planned for generation 4, providing for a cost-effective means for storing data in a non-rewriteable format to help address compliance requirements.
