Dell PowerVault 124T - Manual (Page 31)

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Introduction: Dell™ PowerVault™ 124T LTO4 -120 SAS Autoloader User's Guide
Overview
Data backup is essential to protect irreplaceable information. Backing up data to magnetic tape is an easy, cost-efficient method used by many small and
medium businesses. However, most enterprises have so much data that a single backup tape is not enough; the information has to be spread across
numerous tapes. To avoid constantly changing tapes manually, many tape backup solutions include a PowerVault 124T LTO4-120 SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)
autoloader.
Each autoloader is a device that includes a robot, a tape drive and one or two magazines for tape cartridges. The user's application can automatically load and
unload tape cartridges as required for data backup or data retrieval. Dell PowerVault 124T LTO4-120 SAS autoloaders provide a compact, high capacity, but
low cost method for easy, unattended data backup.
The PowerVault 124T LTO4-120 SAS autoloader contains a Quantum LTO4-120 SAS tape drive, and one or two magazines that can hold up to eight cartridges
each. The user can insert a single cartridge directly through a media door (mailslot) that can be password protected. From the media door (mailslot), the user
can insert the cartridge into the tape drive provided there is no cartridge already in the drive, or into a magazine slot provided there is no cartridge already in
the slot.
The front panel on the autoloader includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and four function keys. A scrolling menu on the LCD screen allows the user to
obtain information from the autoloader and enter commands. The front panel also includes two light emitting diodes (LEDs) indicating the autoloader's ready
status and error status.
The PowerVault 124T LTO4-120 SAS connects to the user's host server through a SAS connection allowing the host to send data and commands automatically.
The unit also can connect to the Remote Management Unit through the Ethernet port, which allows the user to perform administrative functions and download
system updates.
The autoloader is SCSI-3 compatible and operates as a single SCSI ID/two LUN data storage device and provides a compressed capacity of 25.6 Terabytes
and a sustained data transfer rate of 430 GB per hour (native) or as high as 860 GB per hour compressed (assuming 2:1 compression).
The autoloader is compatible with the most popular operating systems and environments supporting a SAS interface but requires direct support from the
operating system or a compatible backup application to take full advantage of its many features, including drive hardware-based encryption.
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