Storage Technology Corp announced the L700 yesterday, the first in a new line of fibre-channel enabled digital linear tape libraries using a new architecture it calls Aegis. StorageTek, which in 1998 claimed a unit market share of 75% for DLT libraries (number two, ATL Products Inc, had a 17% share), has its automatic tape library systems resold by Hewlett-Packard Co, and Sun Microsystems Inc will also resell the new systems.
Aegis libraries will support DLT, its successor SuperDLT, or the forthcoming Ultrium format proposed by the Linear Tape Open consortium – including a mixture of formats, once they become available. That’s not a trivial task, according to StorageTek, which predicts that other drives will support SuperDLT, but not a mixture of formats. The library is the single most expensive item of investment in a tape backup system, it says, and that investment should be protected. Mixed media support, which fits into a wider strategy of tape pooling on local and storage area networks, enables a gradual transition to newer tape formats.
Aegis libraries will use internal fibre-channel drives and support external fibre connectivity. The L700, shipping now, will initially use Ultra SCSI, but future models will be introduced with native fibre channel. Up to 20 DLT drives or 12 9840 are supported, for 27.6Tb of storage. Prices begin at $77,000. A further drive, the L180, starts shipping in November, with between 80 and 180 slots and configurations of up to 10 drives in a single tower.
StorageTek also upgraded its storage management software under the name Horizon. The new release adds support for IBM Corp’s Tivoli NetView systems management software (HP’s OpenView and Computer Associates Unicenter are already supported). The company is also working with Veritas Software Corp on increased application sharing capabilities. Further announcements are due in November.
