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BACKGROUND IMAGE: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
- FeatureCutting through the tape maze
- FeatureChargeback ROI: Does accountability pay?
- FeatureRecent Funding to Storage Companies
- FeatureStandard IT processes: getting to yes at Intel
- FeatureASK THE EXPERT: What does storage pooling mean? What do you think of it?
- FeatureVixel chip brings switching to disks
- FeatureTest before you taste
- FeatureStorage management building on XML foundation
- FeatureVirtual tape is cast for the open systems stage
- FeatureBona fide iSCSI products ship
- FeatureDistance yourself from disaster
- FeatureApple Xserve counts on ATA
- FeaturePushing storage to another level
- FeatureLegato sidles up to Microsoft
- FeatureNDMP restores sanity to NAS backup
- FeatureHPaq: the upshot for storage
- FeatureStorage industry index
- Feature15K RPM disk drives
- FeatureNAS: more than just an appliance
- FeatureDon't get burnt in the fire sale
- FeatureAre your backup processes up to snuff?
- FeatureGive the people what they want - better automation
- FeatureSnapshot: How users manage capacity
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Cutting through the tape maze
All tape is not created equal. Here's everything you need to know about tape formats for corporate backup.
Tape has always been the media of choice for file backup and archiving tasks. Its low cost, portability and simplicity of use make it a perennial favorite with storage administrators. Ongoing improvements in tape drive and media performance, capacity and overall reliability have helped tape maintain its dominating position as the medium of choice for most backup operations. Today, whether employed as an offline safe backup, or online archival storage in automated libraries, tape is an intricate part of any overall hierarchical storage management plan.
Following is a brief overview of the most popular tape choices for midrange systems and networking segments, and their technologies, performance parameters and costs. We'll then put on rose-colored glasses and peer into tape's future.
Major 8mm formats
8mm tape technology employs helical scan recording methodology and is a reliable method for storing large volumes of computer data. With this approach, data is written in short diagonal tracks across the width of the tape. This is the same type of recording technique used by videotape recorders. The full-tape (beginning-to-end) is written in one pass. Basically, helical scan devices utilize a tape transport system consisting of a two-reel cartridge and a tape path that pulls tape over (and halfway around) a spinning read/write cylinder. Helical scan systems can achieve extremely high data densities and have proven field-reliable since they began wide-scale deployment in 1996.
Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT). Developed by Sony, it's designed to support the upper-end midrange server market with a combination of data integrity, speed and capacity. AIT tape drive systems are primarily designed for use in tape libraries and robotic devices used in backup applications. AIT is known for its performance, media and Memory-In-Cassette (MIC) features.
Sony's new AIT-3 8mm tape product features fast (27 seconds) access, high-density tape recording (260GB, compressed) and reliable (50,000-hour head life; 30,000 tape passes) backup for large-scale network servers with large volumes of images and data to be protected. Sony AIT-3 drives provide a 31MB/s (compressed) data transfer rate at a media cost of approximately $0.38/GB.
AIT's Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) media is a data-grade tape, with anti-corrosive properties that improve tape durability and reduce tape wear, extending media life to a 30-year archival rating. An AIT-3 media cartridge costs about $99/cartridge. Sony AIT drives are available in a compact 3.5-inch footprint (with standard frame mount optional). Interfaces supported include all versions of SCSI.
The MIC hardware consists of a 64Kb (AIT-3 models) erasable electrical programmable read-only-memory chip mounted inside the data cartridge. The MIC stores the tape system log, user-defined information and all of the file storage location data normally found on the first segments of tapes used in competing technologies. Because the MIC firmware gauges how far to fast forward or rewind, the drive electronics no longer must read individual address ID markers while the tape is moving. As the target zone approaches, the drive motor slows down to pick up the physical ID markers for fine positioning. The result is search speeds up to 150 times the normal read/write speed of the drive, resulting in lower average data access times. The MIC feature also provides an additional level of reliability, due to the duplication of file index search information.
Mammoth tape. This is Exabyte's 8mm entry into the high-end midrange server market, featuring a tape deck with 40% fewer parts than previous 8mm drives, a capstan-less design that improves reliability by reducing tape wear and support for AME media. Mammoth drives also feature self-calibration and automatic device monitoring for preventive maintenance and error recovery, accompanied by associated automatic reports.
A major benefit of Mammoth tape systems is its backward compatibility with previous Exabyte standard 8mm drives, libraries and media. Users can upgrade while protecting their investment in current equipment. Mammoth-2 8mm tape systems provide an average 60-second file access, high-density tape recording (up to 150GB, compressed) and reliable (50,000-hour head life; 20,000 tape passes) backup for large-scale network servers requiring storage of large volumes of images and data. Mammoth drives provide a 30MB/s (compressed) data transfer rate at a media cost of approximately $92/cartridge or $0.61/GB.
Mammoth supports the same Advanced Metal Evaporated (AME) media as AIT, and, therefore, has the identical archival rating. Exabyte's drives come in a 5.25-inch, half-height footprint and offer a Fibre Channel (FC) interface as well as support for all versions of SCSI. This technology is compatible with Unix, Linux and NT environments.
What's in store for 8mm? AIT-3, which began shipping last January, is the first of four planned generations (AIT-4, AIT-5 and AIT-6). Sony is committed to doubling capacity and transfer rates every 18 months, with the AIT-6 reaching 800GB (native), 96MB/s (native).
Sony is also working on a new family of drives (S-AIT) slated for introduction at the end of this year. The first generation will have a 500GB capacity (native) with a 30MB/s (native) throughput rate. The S-AIT road map calls for four generations, reaching a native capacity of 4TB.
Mammoth-3 from Exabyte is ready to begin shipping. It has a 120GB capacity (native) and a transfer rate of 14MB/s (native). A new super drive that combines Mammoth and VXA tape technology is also under development and is expected to be released in an 18-month time frame. Capacities and transfer rates have not yet been finalized.
Digital Linear Tape
Digital Linear Tape (DLT) technology has been a leader in high-end tape backup for many years. These tape devices are suited for situations where the backup window is small and the amount of data to be backed up continues to grow. The new Super DLT (SDLT) tape targets the high-end midrange systems, network servers and mainframe backup and archiving markets. DLT tape technology has been around since the 1980s and has proven to be rugged and dependable in full-duty cycle environments. It's easy to integrate, reliable enough for the most demanding applications and SDLT is backward compatible with previous DLT generations.
DLT technology is a modern adaptation of the old reel-to-reel tape methodology where the tape cartridge performs as the source reel and the tape drive as the take-up reel. The tape is guided, not pulled, past a stationary head, in contrast to helical scan's spinning head and pulling technique. The recorded side of the tape never touches the guides, minimizing tape wear. The drive utilizes 1/2" tape (this is 60% wider than 8mm tape) and records by writing data in a serpentine pattern on parallel tracks. Each track spans the entire length of the tape. When the end of the tape is reached, the heads are repositioned to record a new set of tracks and recording again continues over the entire length, this time in the opposite direction.
The current generation of Super DLT drives, (SDLT 220), provides 70 second file access, storage capacity of 220GB (compressed) with an estimated shelf life of 30 years and a 30,000 hour head life, with a rating of 1,000,000 tape passes. SuperDLT drives are capable of data transfer rates up to 22MB/s (compressed).
However, having a fast tape drive doesn't ensure the highest throughput. If the transfer rate of a tape drive is faster than the host data rate, the tape must stop and reposition frequently, degrading performance. DLT technology incorporates a feature called adaptive cache buffering to achieve maximum throughput. The drive monitors the host system and dynamically adjusts the cache buffering operations to match the host data rate, thus minimizing delays due to repositioning.
What's in store for DLT? Quantum's latest road map starts with the SDLT 320 expected out later this year. There will be four generations of SDLT drives, with a new product introduction every 18 months. Each generation will double capacity and transfer rates until topping out at 1.2TB (native), 100+ MB/s (native).
Linear Tape Open
Linear Tape Open (LTO), developed by a consortium of IBM, Seagate, and Hewlett-Packard, is an attempt to break the proprietary hold Quantum has on high-capacity linear tape and to offer an open standard alternative. LTO formats employ a multichannel linear serpentine recording method similar to DLT (data is recorded in tracks that run down the length of the tape; the tape makes multiple passes past the read/write heads from one end to the other and then reverses direction).
LTO Accelis utilizes a two-reel, self-contained 8mm cartridge. The cartridge loads with equal amounts of tape on each reel, minimizing access times. Accelis will serve automated environments needing tape storage solutions for a wide range of online data inquiry and read-intensive applications.
LTO Ultrium cartridges are of a single-reel design and utilize half-inch tape media. Tape is extracted from the cartridge by the drive and wound onto a take-up reel contained within the drive itself. Ultrium is suited for backup, restore and archive applications in either standalone or automated environments. LTO cartridges include a built-in cartridge memory. This is an RF module with a non-volatile memory (4Kb); it provides a duplicate file log of cartridge data positioning and user specified information. An external reader allows immediate access to that information without having to insert the cartridge into a drive. A typical Ultrium cartridge costs approximately $137.
What's in store for LTO? IBM, Seagate, and Hewlett-Packard are committed to a four-generation LTO road map and a doubling of capacity and transfer rates with each new product.
In the fourth generation, Accelis capacity will be boosted to 200GB (native) with data transfer rates ranging between 80MB/s to 160MB/s (native). Access times are expected to be less than seven seconds. Ultrium capacities will increase to 800GB (native) with data transfer rates ranging between 80MB/s to 160MB/s (native).
Optical tape: The new kid on the block
- A new array write head architecture which yields a 32-channel head, facilitating high sustained data recording rates and high data storage density.
- An optical head system architecture providing simultaneous readback of the 32 channels without channel alignment issues; this provides for high sustained data transfer rates.
- A new cartridge design which incorporates extra wide short tape, reducing data access times.
What's in store for optical tape? O-Mass plans to introduce a new drive every 18 months spanning four generations, beginning with its initial product shipments. Each generation will double capacity and transfer rates resulting in a fourth generation capacity of 10TB (native) and a 1GB/s (native) transfer rate.
Decisions, decisions
Knowing what tape technology to use is your job, but sometimes it's not always easy to cut through the marketing hype to make smart comparisons (see "How tape formats compare" below).
The 8mm market is dominated by AIT, which offers an excellent price performance offering for departmental backup and recovery applications. It also provides high density in tape library applications because of its small media size. Mammoth technology is good in these same areas, but the company was late to market, which enabled AIT to take the lead.
DLT technology works well in large tape library applications and in data backup applications, but isn't the best choice for applications such as HSM that require fast access to the first data block.
LTO technology offers the best combination of heavy-duty use and fast access to data at a reasonable price. LTO Accelis will be used primarily for single drive applications at the entry level.
Optical-assisted tape holds the promise of high capacities on a very robust media. However, with the price of disk storage dropping rapidly, it will have to be low enough to be an attractive alternative to existing options.


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David Berger Jazz Orchestra / Sheryl Bailey / UNC–Greensboro
Sing Me a Love Song: Harry Warren's Undiscovered Standards
Such Sweet Thunder
If composer Harry Warren is remembered at all, it is for such blockbuster hits from the 1940s as "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (the country's first million-selling record), "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and "You'll Never Know" (one of Warren's three Academy-Award winning songs; he also won for "Lullaby of Broadway" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"). But that merely scratches the surface of Warren's prodigious talent. He wrote many hundreds of songs, a number of which are still being heard today in various genres. Here's a partial list: There Will Never Be Another You / Jeepers Creepers / September in the Rain / Lulu's Back in Town / That's Amore / You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me / I Wish I Knew / Serenade in Blue / The More I See You / I Only Have Eyes for You / We're in the Money / This Is Always / 42nd Street / I'm an Old Cowhand / Cheerful Little Earful / I Know Why / You're My Everything / No Love, No Nothin' / I'll String Along with You / You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby / Boulevard of Broken Dreams / At Last / My Heart Tells Me.
That's not bad for starters. Chances are most music-lovers have hummed these songs for years with nary a clue as to who wrote them, as Warren, in spite of his great success, remained for the most part an unknown quantity, laboring anonymously in the Hollywood studios. As he once remarked, only partially in jest, "Even my friends don't know who I am." Warren's songs, on the other hand, have brightened many pages in the Great American Songbook. Those already named have stood the test of time to become what are known as standards. Others, however, have not. Enter David Berger, a bandleader and music historian who takes pleasure in unearthing overlooked treasures and sharing them with a new listening audience, as he does on Sing Me a Love Song: Harry Warren's Undiscovered Standards.
To carry out his plan, Berger has chosen ten of Warren's lesser-known compositions and placed them in the capable hands of his Jazz Orchestra and vocalists Freda Payne and Denzal Sinclaire. Half of the songs are presented twice, in vocal and instrumental versions. The lyrics are by Ira Gershwin (seven) and Paul Mendenhall (three). The melodies are charmingone would expect no less from Warrenbut the lyrics are less than persuasive, and in the end that is what separates the standards from the also-rans. In his heyday, Warren collaborated with such celebrated lyricists as Al Dubin, Mack Gordon, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Ted Koehler, Cleophus Robinson, Johnny Burke, Dorothy Fields and others, most of whom had a hand in taking Warren's tunes and adding the special ingredient that raised them above the tumult of competing songs and into the realm of the standard. That is to say, the lyrics. There are, perhaps, none here that could plausibly be envisioned as part of the standard lexicon. Even though pleasant enough, they lack that indefinable something that separates the champions from the also-rans. Ira Gershwin, whose lyrics enhanced many a song by brother George and others, fails to deliver here.
That is not to say that the album as a whole is less than admirable, only that it is unlikely to enlarge Warren's already sizeable catalogue of standards. In spite of their best efforts, what Berger and his colleagues seem to have confirmed is that it is all but impossible to recreate and preserve a bygone era, one in which songsmiths were noblemen and the American popular song was king. Considered on its own merits, however, Sing Me a Love Song is a delightful album, one that is well worth hearing and appreciating, "undiscovered standards" or no.
Sheryl Bailey
A New Promise
MCG Jazz

subset: commoncrawl


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LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams have made another addition to their defence, bringing in former Packers starting cornerback Sam Shields.
Shields made 23 interceptions, including the playoffs, from 2010-2015. He also won a Super Bowl with the Packers. But his 2016 season was cut short after one game after he suffered a concussion and he didn't play at all in 2017.
Shields' signing Thursday was only the latest defensive move by the Rams. Los Angeles on Wednesday agreed to trade linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants for two draft picks.
The Rams also agreed last month to acquire cornerback Marcus Peters in a trade with Kansas City, and Los Angeles also used its franchise tag on safety Lamarcus Joyner. Those moves likely mean top cornerback Trumaine Johnson will leave as a free agent.
For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP–NFL


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OPTIMA Batteries, a leader in high-performance automotive and marine batteries and chargers, today announced an online promotion, lasting from June 1 through June 30, offering consumers a free branded cooler with purchase of any OPTIMA battery or charger at OPTIMABatteries.com (one free cooler per transaction).
"The goal of our June e-commerce promotion is to help kick-off the boating and automotive summer season, and get automotive and marine enthusiasts geared up for the heat," said Cam Douglass, director of product development and marketing for OPTIMA. "We want to reward our customers and celebrate all that summer has to offer on the road and water with those who invest in the best in performance products."
In order to qualify for the promotion, consumers must purchase an OPTIMA battery (including all OPTIMA YellowTop, RedTop and BlueTop batteries) or charger (both the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 1200 12V Performance Battery Charger and Maintainer and the OPTIMA Chargers Digital 400 12V Performance Charger and Maintainer) through OPTIMABatteries.com during the month of June. The cooler will automatically appear in consumers' checkout carts upon purchase. The promotion is available at the Optima Batteries Online Shop.
Upon check out, consumers will receive one OPTIMA heavyweight cooler, which is made from 600-denier polyester and has double-end zippers that are sure to withstand rough use. The cooler, which has a value of $24.95 and is made of thick poly-foam insulation, can keep up to six cans of beverages cold for hours and folds flat for storage. The cooler comes with a leak-resistant liner and adjustable shoulder strap or handle.
To learn more about OPTIMA Batteries please visit OPTIMABatteries.com.


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NOT REAL NEWS: Disney not remaking 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'
Sorry, Betty White fans. The 96-year-old won't be starring in an upcoming Disney remake of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The studio has no plans for one.
An online image that appears to promote a Christmas 2021 release of a star-studded Disney revival of the classic is false. The viral image features headshots of nine actors with the names of characters written under the photos, including Andy Serkis as Quasimodo, Gal Gadot as Esmeralda, Betty White as Laverne, and Jack Black as Hugo. It's unclear where the image originated, but it has been posted on Facebook pages, including Fort Wayne, Indiana, radio station K105-FM. A Disney representative confirmed the image is not real and that the company has no such production in the works. K105 thanked a reporter who reached out by email, but made no further comment.
But for Hunchback fans there is some good news. In May, streaming service Netflix announced plans for a modern rendition of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Idris Elba is slated to direct and star in the live-action film. The actors cast for that film are not the ones listed on the false viral image, a Netflix spokeswoman confirmed.
Disney released a "Hunchback of Notre Dame" animated feature in 1996, with voices including Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, Demi Moore as Esmeralda and Kevin Kline as Phoebus.
This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck


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Other questions of trivia: What is the last thing one expects to find in the bottom of Death Valley, the hottest and driest place in the northern hemisphere? How about a permanent stream? And yet there is one, Salt Creek, which is caused by a structural tweak of the valley floor by faulting. The consequence is that groundwater is forced to the surface and flows for a distance of a mile or so before sinking into the ground again. This is a 'river' flowing below sea level!
The only thing that could make this stream stranger is to imagine it filled with fish. It is. How in the world did they get there? In a word, they got here more or less by accident during the Ice Ages, when giant pluvial lakes (glacial meltwater lakes) filled the low basins of the Basin and Range Province. At some point a water connection was made with the Colorado River system, and fish moved into the freshwater lakes of Death Valley and other basins. When the ice ages ended 12,000 years ago, the lakes dried up, but isolated springs and waterways provided a refuge for a few lucky survivors. Since some of the water sources were salty and others fresh water, the fish diverged from a single species into at least five, with a total of 10 distinct populations. The Salt Creek Pupfish survive in the hottest environment of any fish on the planet, often as much as 100 degrees.
After visiting with the fish, we headed a mile high in the Black Mountains for a spectacular view of the valley at Dante's View. That's one part of the view in the picture at the top of the post, and the salt flats at Badwater are shown below. The faint turquoise color on the right is water on the playa surface, left over from December and January's storms.
After taking in the view and talking about the alluvial fans at the base of the mountain, we headed down to Zabriskie Point to work on a project, trying to assess the problems with diverting a dangerous desert wash into the badlands topograpy below Manly Beacon. The students made their predictions not knowing that the diversion was already made 70 years ago. Their conclusions were pretty good, especially about the rapid downcutting in the soft shales and mudstones, and it was neat that they could immediately see the consequences of the diversion.
Gower Gulch (below), the diversion point, has carved downwards about 60 feet in as many years. It has an intricate set of meanders and loops, and it changes visibly from year to year.
The lower fan of Gower Gulch has changed too, with the higher velocity floods carving a deep channel in the fan surface(below).
Our day was almost done with, but we had one more goal: Walking right into the heart of a mountain range, at Titus Canyon. Titus is a huge gorge, in places more than three thousand feet deep, and in the lower canyon the walls so narrow that passenger cars can barely pass through. Getting there required a bumpy three mile ride up the bouldery alluvial fan, and then we entered on foot.
In the twilight the canyon was peaceful and quiet, and the gray cliffs towered above us. It was a good way to end the day's journeys. It's a starry night and we have to go home tomorrow, so I am off to sleep. We have a few more stops in the morning, so look for at least one more entry of Death Valley Days! Adios!


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Trial moved for slain girl's father
Dan Morrissey's trial is being moved to Davenport, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.
Morrissey, 36, is the father of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and uncle to Elizabeth Collins who were found dead in a county park last month after going missing on July 13.
Morrissey is charged in a domestic abuse and drug case.
The Gazette reported that District Court Judge David Staudt ruled it would be unlikely to find an impartial jury in the area and approved the move to Davenport.
A court survey conducted before the girls were found dead established that a majority of potential jurors in Black Hawk County had a fix opinion about Morrissey's guilt or innocence.
The Gazette reported that Morrissey is facing four trials, and Staudt ordered that the first to go will be a case stemming from an October 2011 incident where authorities said Morrissey was found inside a vacant home with meth.