Cipher Data Products Inc, headquartered in San Diego, has released an 18.2Gb Mini-Library. It provides random access to seven tape cartridges and uses the Cipher Ciera 2.6Gb tape drive. The system is available with Cheyenne software and Cipher says that it is designed to provide local area network administrators with a total tape storage system for Novell Inc NetWare networks. The drive has approximately 20% more capacity than the 2.2Gb Exabyte 8200 and is four times faster in transfer rate. Typical network tape back-ups transfer data at 15Mb per second, but the Mini-Library transfers the same data at up to 48Mb per minute. The Library measures 28 by 17 by 34 and has a footprint of four square feet. The 18.2Gb can be configured across seven cartridges at 2.6Gb each, and the drive’s read-write speed is 100 per second, streaming with a raw transfer rate of 1.1Mb per second and a sustained transfer rate of 800Kb per second. The Ciera Mini-Library is available in both 100-120 VAC and 220-240 VAC configurations, and shipments will begin this month with a list price of $20,000.
