Networker

Re: [Networker] Tape Libraries

2003-01-30 14:25:51
Subject: Re: [Networker] Tape Libraries
From: Matthew Temple <mht AT RESEARCH.DFCI.HARVARD DOT EDU>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 14:11:49 -0500
I've been using Qualstar Libraries with Networker on both Tru64  Unix
and Linux.   Right now our backup domain is made of 52 clients with
a total of 6 TB of data.   We just upgraded our library to a 46120
(it was a do-it-yourself upgrade from a 4660.)   My other libraries
had been two 22 slot and 40-slot machines.  (I"m now using the 22-slot
machines with Retrospect and awaiting the Legato OSX client which will,
no doubt, be to expensive to use on so many machines) In my use of the
libraries over the last 6 years, we had one failure which was handled
very quickly by hot-swap.   (Also, 2 AIT drives have failed.)  To be
most accurate, I've seen some "funny" conditions arise where it seemed
that Networker was trying to eject and mount a tape at the
same time.   I too, can't speack to the Netapp issue.  I also have been
using AIT2 drives -- the 46120 has 3.   They're built like tanks.   On
what basis were you warned about these drives?

I ask this question over here, because the main health-care part of
our organinzation just plunked down an ASTONOMICAL amount of money
for an IBM backup solution what was at least 5 times more expensive
than one that could have been provided by Networker.

My Qualstar just keeps cooking along.  I would recommend it.
I can't speak for the others.  Mostly, I just remember when I had some
"libraries" that shuffled around 4-mm DAT in a torturous path.   Those
machines had about a 5-minute mean-time-between-failure rate.


                                        Matt Temple
======================

On Thu, 30 Jan 2003, Daniel Raymer wrote:

> I have 2 of them and a third on the way shortly... a 4480 and a 4210 using
> AIT2 drives... I have never run into an issue with the libraries (unlike our
> previous Quantum and Exabyte libraries which were down as often as they were
> up.  I would whole heartedly recommend Qualstar for a library.  I wish I
> could offer you info on hooking up to a filer but I haven't done it
> myself... I do know that when I took some classes for Legato given by
> Cambridge Computing up in Boston, they had the libraries hooked up to the
> filer via FC and not LVD.  I don't want to toot horns here, but Cambridge
> Computer offers great support for stuff like that and it is also who I
> purchased my Qualstars from.
>
> Good luck with whatever purchase you decide on.
>
> Daniel Raymer
> Unix Systems Administrator
> InterCall
> draymer AT intercall DOT com
> Desk - 706-634-4396
> Cell - 706-773-1416
> Fax - 706-634-3807
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Engle, Vic [mailto:ENGLE005 AT ONYX.DCRI.DUKE DOT EDU]
> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 1:50 PM
> To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
> Subject: [Networker] Tape Libraries
>
> Hello All,
>
> We are running Networker version 6.1.2 on a Sun E250, Solaris 2.6 with 2
> P1000 DLT7000 libraries. My question is really more of a hardware question
> than a Legato question but I'm posting the question here because I know most
> people subscribing to the list have experience with the various tape
> libraries on the market.
>
> We are soon going to add a Network Appliance filer with 2TB to our network
> and plan to attach a library to the filer for NDMP backups. Our P1000s are
> old and have HVD interfaces which is not supported on the netapp so either
> we need to convert HVD to LVD or acquire a new library with LVD or FC. I
> have priced libraries from STK, Quantum, HP and Qualstar and have found that
> the Qualstar seems to offer the best value however I have been warned that
> they are not comparable in quality to the other vendors and that there have
> been some compatibility problems attaching them to netapp filers. It was
> suggested that the problems relate to Qualstar's scsi implementation.
>
> Searching the web, I haven't found any significant amount of negative
> information about Qualstar libraries and they really look like an excellent
> value so I wondered if any of you on the list have Qualstar libraries and
> how you would rate them in terms of reliability, especially if anyone has
> one attached to a netapp filer via lvd scsi.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Vic Engle
> Unix Systems Administrator
> Duke Clinical Research Institute
>
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--
=============================================================
Matthew Temple                Tel:    617/632-2597
Director, Research Computing  Fax:    617/632-4012
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute  mht AT research.dfci.harvard DOT edu
44 Binney Street,  JF 314     http://research.dfci.harvard.edu
Boston, MA 02115              Choice is the Choice!

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