ExaByte's 430M-FC Tape Library

ExaByte just let us know that it has added a native Fibre Channel interface to its 430M tape library. The company says the 430M-FC tape library eliminates the need for an internal bridge or router and that each drive attaches directly to the RAID devices in the SAN. It also gives you a serverless backup capability that lets your data bypass the server and stream directly to the tape drives inside the library. ExaByte says that serverless backups are up to five times faster than traditional backup methods. The 430M-FC tape library can accommodate 30 cartridges and four M2 tape drives for capacities up to 4.5TB and data transfer rates of up to 432GB/hour in SCSI implementations while occupying 5u of rack space. Standard features include field-upgradable tape drives, barcode scanner, remote management capability and an entry/exit port for secure access to individual cartridges. The 430M is sold fully loaded with data cartridges and is available in both SCSI and FC interfaces. MSRP for the 430M-FC with a fibre channel interface starts at $26,000 and includes the tape library, 2 M2 tape drives, 30 data cartridges, fibre optic cabling, library monitoring software and a barcode scanner.