Spectra Logic Ships LTO-5 Drives, Media in T-Series Tape Libraries

Increased density, capacity, performance and energy efficiency

Note: ESJ’s editors carefully choose vendor-issued press releases about new or upgraded products and services. We have edited and/or condensed this release to highlight key features but make no claims as to the accuracy of the vendor's statements.

Spectra Logic is now shipping LTO-5 drives and Spectra certified LTO-5 media cartridges in its T-Series tape libraries. The increased capacity and throughput rates of LTO-5 combined with the small footprint and low power requirements of Spectra Logic’s tape libraries provide customers with high storage density and energy efficiency.

LTO-5 media cartridges have a native capacity of 1.5 TB (3TB with 2:1 compression) and LTO-5 drives have a native transfer rate of up to 140MBps (280MBps in compressed mode). The media capacity of LTO-5 is almost 2X the capacity of LTO-4's native 800GB.

Key benefits of Spectra Logic’s tape libraries with LTO-5 drives and media include:

  • 1.5TB native capacity per tape lets customers manage growing data storage cost effectively. Spectra T-Series tape library capacity options now scale from an entry point of 15 TB up to 180 PB of native storage.

  • 140 MB/s native throughput to each drive allows streamed data throughput to Spectra libraries, optimizes the use of back-up windows and allows faster data archive. Spectra T-Series tape libraries now can deliver over 240TB/hour of uncompressed throughput into the tape archive.

  • Two generations of backward compatibility to LTO-3 offers seamless access to archive and backup data on tape and smooth integration of new higher performance interface standards. The backward compatibility ensures that data that was written up to five years ago can easily interface with contemporary and higher-density formats.

  • Spectra’s Media Lifecycle Management (MLM) offers tape media and data integrity verification to ensure data integrity.

  • Low power and cooling requirements minimize data center power consumption to meet budgetary and compliance needs. LTO-5 offers a 40 percent reduction in idle power consumption over LTO-4 technology.

  • Spectra’s BlueScale encryption with key management standard edition is included for free with all LTO libraries. Data encryption in T-Series offers a fast, reliable and affordable encryption solution that minimizes the risk of data loss and subsequent legal and publicity implications.

Spectra Logic launched its industry exclusive LTO-5 pre-purchase program in September 2009 to provide the benefits of LTO-5 to existing customers. This program allowed customers to purchase LTO-4 drives and exchange them for LTO-5 drives once available, providing investment protection and a guaranteed technology refresh.

Spectra’s T-Series tape libraries are available for purchase with LTO-5 drives and media today. Spectra’s LTO-5 drives include a dual port, native 8 Gb Fibre Channel interface that is compatible with existing 2Gb and 4Gb Fibre Channel switches and host bus adapters. LTO-5 drives are fully compatible with Spectra's BlueScale Encryption with key management, Spectra's MLM, drive-level AES-256 bit encryption key generation and WORM media capabilities. Pricing for a T50e with one half-height LTO-5 drive and ten LTO-5 media slots begins at $10,500.

More information is available at www.spectralogic.com.

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