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Sepaton has upgraded its virtual tape library (VTL), adding performance and new features to keep pace with competitors.
The startup’s S2100-ES2 is an appliance that has a VTL as its primary application. VTL lets disks emulate tape by creating separate libraries for each host while sharing the same physical tape library. This allows users to share a tape library among incompatible backup applications.
The systems are becoming popular among customers who want reliable data backup without the hassle of unreliable tape systems. VTLs are basically disk-based systems that function the way tape systems do, but they backup and access data faster with greater reliability, proponents say.
S2100-ES2 differs from rival products, such as FalconStor or Alacritus, which was recently targeted for acquisition by Network Appliance, said Paul Feresten, Sepaton vice president.
Feresten said Sepaton — “no tapes” spelled backwards — builds a complete system with hardware and software, whereas those competitors are software only. With software-only systems, end users or systems integrators are responsible for building the system.
“We find the best way to go to market is with something that is self-contained and helps the company get up and running more quickly,” Feresten said.
To wit, the S2100-ES2 picks up where the San Francisco start-up’s first system left off, emulating 64 tape libraries from vendors, including IBM, StorageTek, Quantum and ADIC, while shortening backup window times.
The new system can now scale from 3 terabytes (TB) to 1 petabyte (PB) of storage in one device at 4.3 TB an hour. The original ES only scaled to 200 TB. Feresten said the company’s capacity increase reflects the growing glut of data in enterprises.
The new system also offers a way for administrators to ferry data from one VTL to another without letting the data be overwritten. Data may then be automatically compressed according to custom backup policies.
The gadget features a new browser-based graphical user interface, rendering graphical views of the library, media management and device management detail-for-detail with the familiar tape library.
Sepaton will support the S2100-ES2 with its ReadyRestore data protection applications, providing synthetic and remote site backup, content compression and other perks to obviate forklift upgrades.
The S2100-ES2 is for sale now, starting at less than $60,000 for a configured appliance.
Article courtesy of InternetNews.com
