Spectra Logic Introduces LumOS Library Management Software with Two New Tape Libraries

Spectra Logic Corp. announced the introduction of LumOS library management software and the addition of 2 members to its family of enterprise tape storage solutions.

The new members are the TFinity Plus enterprise library and Spectra Cube cloud-optimized library.

LumOS library management software is the next-gen OS for managing, monitoring and controlling Spectra tape libraries. Based on a modern, extensible architecture that delivers greater functionality, reliability and as much as 20x the performance of the previous-gen of library management software, LumOS software is a foundational platform designed to enable the company to continuously extend the functionality and longevity of TFinity Plus and Spectra Cube libraries through future technology generations, into the next decade and beyond.

Key LumOS features include:

• Feature-rich interface with secure local and remote access
• Multi-threaded operations to complete multiple tasks simultaneously
• Full REST API for automation of all library functions including software upgrades
• Regular vulnerability-tested updates incorporating all security patches
• Integrated partitioning for shared or multi-tenant environments
• Capacity-on-Demand (CoD) for dynamic addition of media slots
• AES-256 encryption and key management for LTO drive-based encryption
• Library and drive lifecycle management to predict and help prevent failures
• Automatic drive cleaning for error reduction and extended drive life
• Media lifecycle management and data integrity verification (1)
• Proactive monitoring and diagnostics with email notification and automatic support ticketing

TFinity Plus enterprise library
The TFinity Plus library builds upon the capabilities of the TFinity ExaScale library to deliver the next level of performance, reliability and scalability.

It features include a new library control module and a high-resolution color touchscreen designed to support LumOS library management software. The new library incorporates all current TFinity ExaScale features, including its tri-media capability to intermix LTO, IBM TS11xx and Oracle T10000 tape technology within a single system.

For flexibility and throughput, TFinity Plus libraries support up to 168 drives, a 24-drive increase over the TFinity ExaScale library. Supported drive interfaces include FC and SAS, while optional Ethernet-to-SAS bridges can eliminate the need for dedicated storage area network connections, significantly reducing cost and complexity.

To maximize mount performance, the TFinity Plus library leverages a combination of the firm’s high-performance robotic transporters, TeraPack magazines and LumOS software to deliver the highest tape move and exchange rate of any available library.

The TFinity Plus library is a world’s largest tape storage system, capable of storing 2.2EB of uncompressed data and as much as 6.4EB of compressed data, with a maximum native throughput of 242TB/hour. For compressed data, throughput is 544TB/hour.

TFinity Plus field upgrades
To extend useful service life and take advantage of new features and technology, any existing TFinity or TFinity ExaScale library can be field upgraded to support LumOS library management software. Upon upgrade, these systems will be functionally identical to the TFinity Plus enterprise library and will receive an emblem identifying them as fully supported TFinity Plus systems.

Spectra Cube cloud-optimized library

Spectra Cube cloud-optimized library
Designed for clouds and optimized for ease of use, the Spectra Cube library can be deployed, dynamically scaled and easily serviced without tools or downtime. It offers up to 30PB of native capacity, with a maximum compressed capacity of 75PB. Up to 16 full-height or 30 half-height LTO tape drives may be intermixed, delivering a maximum native throughput of 32TB/hour. Supported LTO technology generations include LTO-6, LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9. For shared or multi-tenant environments, the library supports up to 16 partitions.

Modern object-based tape application support
TFinity Plus and Cube libraries fully support modern backup and archive applications through integration with Spectra BlackPearl file and object storage systems to create cost-effective on-premises or hybrid cloud object-based tape tiers. Amazon S3 and Amazon S3 Glacier API access is supported.

Additionally, more than 30 custom integrations with media asset and production asset managers are available along with validated solutions for integration with object storage environments such as NetApp StorageGRID.

“While innovations associated with primary storage performance capabilities frequently dominate HPC storage-related investments and headlines, tape storage is becoming an increasingly critical element of leading data center storage architectures. Market forces driving the resurgence of tape storage include massive data growth from complex traditional HPC and modern AI workloads, escalating cloud storage costs, and increasing threats of ransomware attacks,” said Mark Nossokoff, research director, Hyperion Research. “Offerings like Spectra’s new libraries, management software, and object-based tape solutions aim to make it easier to integrate tape into today’s modern computing environments, lower storage costs, and enhance the security of an organization’s high-value data.”

Lifetime-guaranteed Spectra Certified Media

To ensure the utmost reliability and extend the longevity of tape media, the company recommends the use of lifetime-guaranteed Spectra Certified Media with all its libraries.

When using Certified Media, the company’s libraries ⁽¹⁾ actively monitor tape health and usage, recording more than 40 metrics for each tape during its lifespan to aid in predicting, assessing and minimizing errors. Additionally, regular data integrity verification checks are automatically conducted to detect media errors, reducing the risk of data corruption or loss.

Every Certified Media cartridge is pre-cleaned using a patented CarbideClean process to ensure media is debris-free, reducing errors and extending tape head life. Certified Media cartridges also come with pre-applied standard or custom barcodes for efficient tracking.

The company’s Certified LTO-9 cartridges are pre-calibrated for immediate use, optimizing data placement and saving up to 30mn per cartridge of initialization time.

For convenience, Certified Media cartridges may be delivered pre-packed into TeraPack magazines for easy bulk loading or offsite storage, with optional dust covers for added protection during storage.

Availability:

• TFinity Plus libraries are available to order now with initial shipments in April. TFinity Plus field upgrades are available to order now with a 30-day delivery lead time.

• Spectra Cube libraries are available to order now with a 30-day delivery lead time.

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⁽¹⁾ TFinity ExaScale, TFinity Plus, T950 and Spectra Cube libraries only.