ArcticBlue Nearline Disk Storage System by Spectra Logic

Spectra Logic Corporation unveiled ArcticBlue, a nearline disk storage system.

ArcticBlue leverages the company’s BlackPearl hybrid storage architecture and Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) disk media, creating an object storage-based disk platform with longevity, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Datacenter and private cloud managers can affordably integrate a long-life nearline disk solution with online performance.

ArticBlue rear

Part of the company’s deep storage product set, ArcticBlue sits behind the BlackPearlDeep Storage Gateway, providing an S3 object storage interface that is easy to implement and use. ArcticBlue leverages BlackPearl’s Advanced Bucket Management (ABM) feature, which automatically creates one or more copies on both ArcticBlue disk systems and company’s tape libraries, creating a deep storage solution that provides true genetic diversity and digital preservation of data.

“Digital tape has always led the way on cost, efficiency and longevity, and BlackPearl supplements a tape system by simplifying the interface and eliminating the barriers of software complexity,” said Matt Starr, CTO, Spectra Logic. “ArcticBlue revolutionizes the entire system by adding a low cost, direct access online tier that can be used in conjunction with or instead of tape. It’s a product that reflects Spectra Logic’s 36 years of deep storage expertise.“

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Attributes include:

• Initial cost as low as $0.10/GB MSRP, the industry’s lowest TCO over product life

• Drive lifecycle management extends the life of SMR-SATA drives through intelligent idling; More than doubles the life of the disk drives and delivers unmatched power efficiency, lowering TCO for the system

• Online performance maintained using fast access wide stripe-bands that can all be powered up for mass random reads, and fast network access, including 10GbE and 40GbE options through BlackPearl

• Utilizes SMR technology for high-density storage, from 384TB to 6.1PB in a single rack, with a long term upgrade path to higher capacity

• Data integrity and reliability with error detection and correction from the object level all the way to the media; Local erasure coding with built-in global spare drives statistically eliminating data loss

• Managed directly by BlackPearl Deep Storage Gateway, the S3 interface and automated policy-based storage provides nearline and off-line copies

“ArcticBlue is a breakthrough product for Spectra Logic that fills an open segment in private cloud, object, nearline and archive storage,” said Nathan Thompson, CEO, Spectra Logic. “Combining disk and tape with the benefits of cloud storage, creates a genetically diverse storage media strategy, one we believe is important in assuring digital preservation.“

Company’s developer community is comprised of dozens of companies that have developed BlackPearl clients, and will continue to grow with the addition of ArcticBlue.

ArcticBlue will begin shipping in December 2015.

Pricing for a 48-drive ArcticBlue disk system begins at $49,920. A full-rack configuration delivers 6.1PB raw capacity, before compression of data.