• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Escape From The Tape Trap

    December 12, 2016 Dan Burger

    IBM i storage strategy remains heavily dependent on tape. Even beyond the IBM midrange, around 75 percent of all data is stored on tape. Old habits die hard, even when alternatives become easier and less expensive to manage. A good example is the Universal Backup Device designed by LaserVault. In its original form, it’s an IBM i backup appliance that appears as a tape device. Now it works in VM environments as well.

    The VM integration eliminates the cost of the LaserVault appliance and the cost of an X86 server. That’s roughly $6,000 to $8,000. Instead of requesting a new piece of hardware and putting it in the rack, it becomes a matter of spinning up a virtual machine and adding some disk.

    LaserVault’s Universal Backup Device now has a home in virtual envrionments.

    Compared to physical tape, UDB is easier to manage because of the digital file format and drag and drop graphical user interface. Tape management is cumbersome, with costs associated with transport and storage. UBD creates a disk backup to disk and allows digital forms to be copied across the internet. The same tape commands that most companies are accustom to using are also operational when using UBD.

    Instead of handling a tape cartridge, there’s a tape image, which is a file or set of files. Through a Web interface, they can be protected, deleted, expiration dates can be changed, they can be copied to a new location, and an entire backup (daily, weekly, and monthly, for instance) can be replicated across the internet. The time it takes to recover files is perhaps the biggest benefit. With digital files, searches can be granular and recovery can be completed in a fraction of the time restoring from tape requires.

    Data replication, encryption, and data de-duplication are built into the device and Fibre Channel write throughput with UBD is as high as 409 MB per second, according to the manufacturer.

    “People that have VMs want to manage everything through VM. So, we made our product work for them,” says Brad Jensen, CEO of LaserVault and its parent company Electronic Storage Corporation.

    UBD is compatible with VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other popular hypervisors. In addition, UBD can be used on multiple VMs, which could be used to keep multiple LPARs functionally separate. These environments are also more likely to use storage area networks (SANs) or network attached storage (NAS), which are compatible with UBD.

    UBD software-only pricing starts at $8,500. The interface card, at approximately $1,500, is also an expense. The cards can be purchased with 1, 2, 3 or 4 ports. Additional ports are approximately $2,500 per port. If installation help is needed, LaserVault will provide that for $1,250. Although some vendors add charges based on capacity limits, LaserVault does not. LaserVault continues to sell the appliance-based UBD.

    RELATED STORIES

    Time For Tapeless? LaserVault Tempts The SMB

    Fresche Legacy Advances App Dev Integration Plan

    Remain Software ALM Tool Gets CA Plex Interface

    Software Change Management Designed For Small IBM i Shops

    LaserVault Debuts New Backup Option for IBM i

    Remain Software Improves ALM Workflow, Readies Multi-Platform Capabilities

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    Maxava

    Maxava Webinar: Migrating IBM i from On-Premise to Power Virtual Server: Benefits and Best Practices

    Whether you are currently running IBM i on-premise or considering migrating to a cloud-based solution, this webinar will provide valuable insights into the benefits and best practices of migrating to IBM’s Power Virtual Server, identifying potential roadblocks.

    Register Now

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    Profound Logic Software:  NOW ON DEMAND! Webinar: Agile Modernization with Node.js.
    Fresche:  IBM i staffing for all of your IT needs. Request a FREE estimate. 1-800-361-6782
    System i Developer:  RPG & DB2 Summit - March 21-23, 2017 in Orlando. Register now!

    Reporting Elevated IBM i Privileges to SIEM RPG And The BLOB

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 26, Number 55 -- December 12, 2016
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Profound Logic Software
Chrono-Logic
Vision Solutions
Computer Keyes
WorksRight Software

Table of Contents

  • Talking Change Management With Chrono-Logic
  • New LUG Spreads ‘MAGIC’ In The Mid-Atlantic
  • Escape From The Tape Trap
  • As I See It: History Repeating
  • IT Spending And Staffing Show The Effects Of Managed Services

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • IBM i Delivers Sizable Benefits, Forrester Consulting Reports
  • SBOMs Will Come to IBM i, Eventually
  • IBM i Backup Provider Storagepipe Snapped Up By Thrive
  • Four Hundred Monitor, June 7
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 23
  • Power10 Boosts NVM-Express Flash Performance
  • Fortra Completes Postmortem Of GoAnywhere Vulnerability
  • Guru: Binding Directory Entries
  • How Does Your Infrastructure Spending Stack Up To The World?
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 25, Number 22

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2023 IT Jungle