NAB 2013: Tiger's hierarchical storage mgt. solution using IBM LTFS
LAS VEGAS — Tiger Technology (www.tiger-technology.com) a developer of high-performance storage area networking (SAN), software management tools and integrated appliances, is at NAB this year with CluStore TLE, a new server-based hierarchical storage management (HSM) software solution that employs IBM Linear Tape File System (LTFS) tapes and tape libraries for the Windows operating system.
Aimed at the rich-media and entertainment industry, the tiered HSM structure is a shift in the way users can interact with their storage — it allows archived data to be seamlessly integrated as part of the main storage pool for unmatched ease-of-use and interoperability in day-to-day operations.
“CluStore TLE turns any Windows server with IBM Tape Library into a highly interchangeable HSM solution and makes it easy to integrate a combination of DAS, NAS, SAN and LTFS tape or tape libraries into a single namespace under Microsoft Windows,” explains Alexander Lefterov, CEO at Tiger Technology.
With CluStore TLE, files are automatically stored on the primary storage, and then automatically archived to the universally trusted IBM tape library after a specified period of time. The benefits are significant as the LTFS tapes are fully transportable and interchangeable, even with facilities that do not use CluStore TLE. If users ever need one of the archived files, they simply need to look in the folder where they last left it. When the file is accessed, CluStore TLE seamlessly moves it from the tape back onto the primary tier of storage.
“Data tiering and life-cycle management have been in use in the IT space for years, but it is only beginning to make inroads at entertainment production/post facilities as digital content producers begin to realize they cannot continue to grow their disk-based storage infrastructures indefinitely,” Bernard Lamborelle, Director of Sales at Tiger Technology, explains. “Our CluStore TLE server-based software offers a sophisticated, turnkey HSM solution that allows them to merge flash, disk and tape-based technologies into a unified pool that is incredibly simple to set up, use and maintain.”
CluStore TLE Highlights
- Creates hierarchical and unified namespace for combining DAS, NAS, SAN and LTFS-based volumes on the Windows operating system.
- Integrates easy-to-use policy-based data tiering functionality for life-cycle management.
- Enables transparent movement of files between solid-state, disk-based and tape-based storage without breaking links to users and applications.
- Minimizes performance degrading fragmentation and tape wear that can occur in a multi-write LTFS environment by caching files to disk prior to moving them to tape.
- Eliminates 1:1 mapping of tape cartridges to file folders found in tape libraries by virtualizing individual tapes.
- Ensures continuous writing operation to tape library when number of files exceeds single tape capacity.
CluStore TLE is scheduled to ship in Q2 and is available for $1,995. Tiger Technology and IBM channel partners also offer CluStore TLE-enabled IBM servers with IBM LTFS Tape Libraries.