Exabyte introduces Magnum 224 LTO tape library

Exabyte Corp. tape backup and recovery systems company, introduced the Magnum 224 LTO (Ultrium) Tape Library, aimed at meeting the data protection needs of small and midsize businesses and remote offices/branch offices of larger enterprises. With the introduction of the Magnum 224, Exabyte has created a new product category: the industry's first SMB/departmental entry-level LTO tape library. 



Its scalable design delivers expandable capacity, enabling SMB customers to create custom configurations by expanding the number of tape cartridges and tape drives to meet their changing storage requirements. The Magnum 224 is available in two drive configurations: a single LTO-2 half-height drive and empty bay for a second LTO-2 drive; or with a single LTO-3 drive.



“We believe that these new libraries will prove that the SMB market and departments within larger enterprises can and should be served with high-end automation. Exabyte is ready to demonstrate that an LTO tape library can be an easy out-of-the-box experience and can deliver on both initial and long-term savings as data loads increase,” said Exabyte President, Tom Ward. 



The standard Magnum 244 package includes the drive, 12 cartridge magazine, a SCSI interface and 2U height robotics, and is loaded with standard features such as a rack kit, remote management capabilities, and a barcode reader — essential tools that competing manufacturers add on at the end, often costing the customer more than an extra thousand dollars. Both configurations include a single 12-cartridge magazine with import/export drawer.



When the data load or throughput speed requires an upgrade, the addition of a customer-installable LTO-2 half-height drive and 12-cartridge magazine can double or triple the initial capacity and speed of the Magnum 224, depending on the user's choice of configuration. 



Total capacity ranges from 4.8 TB for an LTO-2 drive configuration with a single media magazine to almost 20 TB for a 24-cartridge, LTO-3 drive setup. The small 2U form factor is maintained even when the autoloader is scaled into a dual-drive, dual-media magazine library. 



Tapes can be easily inserted or removed through the single-cartridge import/export drawer without removing the entire 12-cartridge magazine. Additionally, power is not required to remove media from the unit, making it easy to access critical data under any circumstance, said the company statement.