PivotStor, dedicated to delivering best-of-breed data protection, coupled with proven reliability and cost-effective performance, announced the first tape library that combines LTO-4 tape's reliability with SAS interface connectivity speed and the demonstrated economy of half- height drives. PivotStor's complete line of LTO-4HH AP-Series tape libraries with SAS connectivity will be available in the beginning of April, exclusively through the company's network of value-added resellers and integrators.  

    The result is a full line of tape libraries that integrate more capacity, more data density, more bandwidth and greater performance into one unit: all of which means faster data protection at a lower price. Like other products in the PivotStor line of data protection devices, the LTO-4HH libraries are sold exclusively through the company's line of channel partners in North America and the United Kingdom. In addition, PivotStor is the only company to come to market with a library that incorporates two LTO-4HH SAS drives in a 2U rackmount unit.

    "With the introduction of these libraries, PivotStor has enabled our partners to make a big splash with a small footprint," stated Bob Hawkins, PivotStor's senior product marketing manager. "Resellers who have built a trusted relationship with their customers will be able to convey the solid value that these libraries offer, as well as know that they are dealing with a company committed to delivering solid products and solid profits to the channel."

    Hawkins noted that the libraries' SAS interface means more powerful performance than running under the older SCSI interface; SAS enables up to 128 devices, including the PivotStor library, to be connected in a network environment, with each point-to-point connection running at 3.0Gb per second, as opposed to SCSI's 3.2Gb shared among up to 15 devices, which sharply reduces effective throughput.

    "The new AP Series LTO-4HH SAS models offer an excellent opportunity for our customers to plan for LTO-4 performance/capacity needs, as well as half- height density advantages to affordably manage their data storage protection requirements," said Colin Broadberry, president of Broadberry Data Systems, an international reseller based in Middlesex, United Kingdom with offices in Wilmington, Delaware.

    PivotStor TL7000 tape library upgrade drives and accessories meet the customers need to scale their backup and archive solution to fit their expanding data storage and shrinking backup windows. It includes upgrade/add-on drives, additional tape cartridge magazines, redundant power supplies, and interface cables.

The PivotStor line of LTO-4HH libraries feature:
    -  Capacity of up to 153.6 terabytes (with 96 tapes holding 1.6TB each);
    -  Up to four LTO-4HH drives in each library (4U and 8U configuration);
    -  Faster throughput of up to 1.7 terabytes per hour (in two-drive models);
    -  Quicker bandwidth of up to three gigabits per second per point-to- point connection, through the library's native SAS interface; and
    -  Lower cost, with starting prices at less than $13,000.