XenData LTO Archive NAS Scales to 1PB

XenData Ltd. announces the SXL-5000, a high performance scalable LTO archive that is designed for video applications.

The SXL-5000 base model has 210TB of near-line LTO capacity and scales to 1.18PB. This is the equivalent of 9,000 to 50,000 hours of HD video, recorded at 50Mb/s.

The SXL-5000 has a NAS architecture, connecting to the network via 1GbE or 10GbE. Powered by XenData6 Server software, it has a standard file and folder interface used for both archive and restore operations. This means that it is compatible with a range of applications used in the media industry including most media asset management system.

Alternatively, video files may be archived and restored manually to a file-folder structure using Windows Explorer, Finder or via FTP utilities.

The SXL-5000 is designed for mounting in standard 19 inch racks, taking from 12 to 42U. The 210TB base model consists of a 2U server and an expandable 10U robotic LTO library with two IBM LTO-6 drives. It can be expanded to 1.18 PB of near-line LTO capacity by adding three 10U expansion modules to the robotic library. Each LTO-6 drive has a throughput of 160MB/s when either writing or restoring files. Throughput can be increased by adding additional LTO-6 drives up to a total of eight units.

The robotic LTO library, manufactured by Qualstar Corp. in the USA, offers performance and reliability. It has an average slot to drive time and drive to slot time of 7.5s. For demanding video application, being able to move cartridges around quickly within the library is key.

The archive server is based on the HP DL380 hardware running a Windows Server OS. The server has a 6TB to 20TB RAID cache which is used by the XenData6 Server software to provide fast archive and restore operations. Archiving occurs at the speed of RAID without any of the delays associated with the access time of LTO cartridges. Restoring multiple files is optimized in the system, as files are read from LTO in tape order, minimizing total tape movement.

Powered by XenData6 Server software, the LTO archive system runs automatically, driven by administrator defined policies. It will automatically create duplicate LTO tape cartridges which may be exported from the tape library and retained in an offsite location, providing data protection. LTO cartridges may be written in either the LTFS cartridge exchange format or open standard TAR format. The use of a standard LTO format prevents the vendor lock-in associated with proprietary formats.

The SXL-5000 is available with onsite support in the USA, Canada, Europe and the APAC region.

“With the new SXL-5000, we are offering customers a robust, turnkey solution that is able to meet the highly demanding requirements of today’s media and entertainment industry,” said Phil Storey, XenData CEO. “Key differentiators of the SXL-5000 are our use of a Windows standard file system and our NAS architecture. This means that the SXL-5000 is compatible with a broad range of complementary industry products including most media asset management systems, NLEs and automation.”

The SXL-5000 will be demonstrated at NAB, April 7-10, 2014 in Las Vegas on the XenData booth.

It is available and prices start at $67,700.