LTFS – Liear Tape File Systems for Easy Data Storage
For years, tape has been the dominant medium for data archival; however, tape archives do not give flexibility to end users for rapid access to data. While this has traditionally posed a challenge to IT professionals, a new product from Crossroads Systems, StrongBox, illuminates possibilities unlike preceding technology. StrongBox employs Linear Tape File System (LTFS) technology to enable tape as a file-based, easy to access system.
Developed by the LTO consortium, LTFS is a standard for formatting tape media, which ensures it is readable by any system, regardless of vendor or congruent applications. LTFS, along with Crossroads’ innovative application, has expanded opportunities for accessible Tier 3 data storage at significant cost-savings, when compared to disk-based alternatives.
Capgemini, a global leader in business and IT consulting, recently deployed StrongBox to archive data in their Netherlands data center. In a recent press release, Capgemini reported that, “compared to other available alternatives, StrongBox provides the most compelling pricing per gigabyte, while also offering a new set of always online capabilities that have the potential to greatly expand our archiving services.” LTFS technology allows any existing tape data (with LTFS formatting) to be seamlessly ingested into StrongBox, allowing the system to enhance existing IT investments while maximizing usability.
Linear Tape File System
Data storage can be broken down into appropriate tiers based on specific qualifications of the data size, access and storage medium. Tier 3 data deals with long-term, high-quantity storage. Traditionally, T3 storage is used for infrequently accessed files, but new Linear Tape File System (LTFS) technology enables T3 data to be available as a file-based system for online access.
Crossroads Systems’ new solution, StrongBox, uses Linear Tape File System formatting to order tape data into standard file classes to allow effortless data retrieval. Before Linear Tape File System, tape data was locked down by vendor-specific devices or applications. Now, any LTFS formatted tape can be introduced and read by any LTFS enabled device. This means that StrongBox is non-proprietary and works with existing systems to give a total archive solution through Linear Tape File System innovation.
Linear Tape File Systems
In conjunction with LTO tape technology, Linear Tape File Systems (LTFS) change the way tape can be used as an archiving medium. LTFS technology essentially helps strip all the negatives away from tape media: proprietary lock down, inaccessibility of data, frustrating reads, and transforms it into a file-like, drag and drop format.
Recently a product manager at NBCUniversal spoke to the advantages of a new product, StrongBox from Crossroads Systems, in the media and entertainment industry data archive needs. He said that because of Linear Tape File Systems, StrongBox is able to present a universal view of files, without interrupting system performance.
For NBCUniversal, keeping a mountain of data at users’ fingertips is essential for business success. Always looking towards the future, the company continues to evaluate various long-term technologies to meet their ever-growing data archive needs.
Crossroads StrongBox is designed to address the need for a low cost and highly reliable LTFS, presenting itself as traditional network-attached storage-NAS while leveraging the new LTO5 LTFS.
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