HP SureStore Tape Autoloader 1/9 provides tape library features at autoloader price

Hewlett-Packard Company has announced the HP SureStore Tape Autoloader, which offers many of the manageability, scalability and investment protection features of a high-end tape library at a competitive autoloader price. Designed as an easy-to-use, flexible data backup solution, the 1/9 is a storage option anyone can set up and use, even from a remote location.

The growing demand for fast, flexible and reliable data backup, coupled with users requiring greater access to their information, leaves IT professionals with more data to back up in less time. The 1/9 meets this need for a highly reliable, scalable and multiplatform support solution. With a DLT 8000 drive, the 1/9 has data capacities of 360GB native and 720GB compressed, with estimated transfer rates of 6MB/s native and 12MB/s compressed. The HP SureStore Tape Autoloader 1/9 is designed to work with leading operating systems, such as HP-UX, Solaris and NT.

The HP SureStore Tape Autoloader 1/9 features a nine-tape cartridge, one-drive configuration and is available in either stand-alone or rack-mount configurations. Initially offered with a DLT 8000 tape drive, the 1/9 will also later be available with the DLT1 drive from Benchmark Tape Systems. The 1/9 provides customers with future investment protection and room for capacity growth with easy field upgrades to next-generation drives, such as Ultrium format Linear Tape Open (LTO) and Super DLT, when available. The 1/9 leverages the user-friendly fourth-generation library design found in the rest of the HP SureStore Tape Library family.

"HP is leveraging its library design experience to provide customers with a flexible, simple-to-manage, low-cost solution," said Riaan de Leeuw, HP Mass Storage Market Development manager, "By offering next-generation library features at an autoloader price, HP solidifies its leadership role in providing customers with affordable choices in flexible, stress-free storage."

The 1/9 delivers the following library features in an autoloader device:

• optional Web-based library administrator (remote management card) and diagnostics for management and monitoring of the 1/9 device from a remote or central site;

• easy-to-install rack-mount configuration;

• standard bar-code reader; and

• easy-to-read, intuitive front-panel display.