Search This Blog

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

How low can your data go with virtual tape libraries?

Network World

Product Test and Buyer's Guide




Product Test and Buyer's Guide, 06/05/07

How low can your data go with virtual tape libraries?

By Logan Harbaugh

Today's storage mechanisms are all about squeezing as much data into as little space as possible. Virtual tape library (VTL) software contributes to the space-saving cause by using hard-disk storage systems to emulate robotic tape libraries for the purpose of cutting down on using up precious storage real estate.

Compare Products with Network World's VoIP and Convergence Buyer's Guide

From deployable IP-PBX systems to unified messaging, Network World has detailed information on hundreds of products. Side-by-side comparisons along with objective test and review results make it quick and easy to find the solutions that are right for your enterprise.

Click here to find out more.

In this Clear Choice Test we set out to evaluate VTL systems that incorporate data deduplication (see primer) to further reduce the overall storage footprint while maintaining a high level of data maneuverability and overall system manageability.

We invited all vendors who ship VTL software to participate, including Quantum, Avamar (now EMC), Copan, Data Domain, Diligent, FalconStor, Network Appliance and Sepaton. Quantum, with its DXi5500, and Data Domain, with its DD560, were willing and able to participate within our testing window. FalconStor's new product is in our lab now. We'll post those results online as soon as they are available.

We used Symantec's BackupExec 11d running on a Windows 2003 server to back up 2TB of data from a 2Gbps Fibre Channel storage system to each device. We backed up the same data a second time, and ran a script that changed 1,361 files totaling just over 60GB worth of changes and ran a third backup process (see How we tested VTLs).

Both appliances got equally high points for providing efficient compression and high data-throughput rates. While their performance indicates they should be able to support multiple simultaneous backup streams, we must caution that your mileage likely will vary depending on the type of data, its inherent compressibility and its susceptibility to deduplication.

For more on this test, please click here.

TODAY'S MOST-READ STORIES:

1. What Google bought in the past 12 months
2. Avaya buyout rumors reveal VoIP market churn
3. Did Street View spook Eric Schmidt?
4. Malware hidden in fake IRS notices
5. Adult filmmakers taking their lumps on ‘Net?
6. Is Apple enterprise-ready?
7. Google Desktop vulnerable to new attack
8. EMC buys authentication service provider Verid
9. Will Cisco suffer IBM's fate?
10. Michigan man fined for using free Wi-Fi

MOST E-MAILED STORY:
Michigan man fined for using free Wi-Fi


Contact the author:
Harbaugh is a freelance writer and IT consultant in Redding, Calif. He can be reached at logan@lharba.com.

BONUS FEATURE

IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details.


PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today.

International subscribers, click here.


SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here.

This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription.


Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza

Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007

No comments: