The Archive Appliance product line features modular architecture and design in order to provide customers with an optimized data archiving solution. Each Network Attached Storage (NAS) archiving solution can be configured specifically for the needs of the organization according to capacity, scalability, performance, features, and budget.
All data is cached to RAID providing faster access to active archived data and is then committed to optical storage, and/or Cloud, for long-term preservation depending upon user requirements. ASTI Archive Appliances are up and running in only a few minutes and present themselves as standard NAS appliances over the TCP/IP network with support for Windows CIFS, Unix/Linux NFS, and FTP protocols.
ASTI’s Archive Appliance line of NAS storage devices combine all of the resources necessary for managing and storing data effectively over the long-term. NAS storage devices consist of:
Storage Management System (SMS)
One or more fully automated optical archiving libraries
Selection of one of the two SMS options is dependent upon the features implemented, performance required, RAID size, and budget.
Standard SMS: Available for Entry and Midrange models. Suitable for small to medium business environments and general purpose archive storage applications. Can be configured with between 2 and 12 RAID drives with software controlled 2-12TB of RAID (RAW) cache. Features SCSI connectivity to the library and drives.
Elite SMS: The high-performance Elite SMS provides up to 400% faster overall through-put than the standard SMS. Well-suited for conditions where increased throughput and high-availability are necessary, it is available with Entry, Midrange and Enterprise models. The Elite SMS can be configured with 8 and 12 RAID drive configurations. Features include:
Archive Controller w/Quad Core Processor
UP to 24TB RAID Cache (RAW)
SAS Drives with increased speeds
Direct connectivity to library drives
Hardware RAID Controller with BBU
RAID Configuration Protection
RAID 5 and RAID 6 level & hot spare options
Redundant Power Supplies
Optical UDO Library - Model Sizes and Capacities
UDO optical libraries are available in a variety of capacities suitable for supporting any-sized data archiving requirements from small businesses and courtrooms to large corporations and enterprises. Selection is determined by projected current and future library and media capacity requirements, and hardware component redundancies.
ASTI optical libraries are available in a variety of models. Entry-Midrange and Enterprise libraries offer designed-in investment protection with the ability to scale and expand with business requirements. In most cases, libraries can scale to accommodate data growth without changing footprint size.
At the heart of every field-proven library is regulatory compliant optical media. The true Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) media offers superior longevity making it a cornerstone for organizations subject to industry regulations. Optical media offers an affordable disaster recovery solution with each library having the capability of automatically generating multiple copies of media, one of which can be preserved offsite.
Two models of fully automated robotic Archive Appliance midrange libraries are available with scalable capacities that feature dual media transport assemblies, barcode scanners and UDO drives. Available with a Standard or Elite SMS, RAID configurations will vary based on selection (raw capacity from 2 to 24 TB. Standard libraries are equipped with SATA drives and Elite with SAS drives.
Models are as follows:
AA80 can be configured with 2 or 4 UDO drives and scales from 1.2TB (20 slots) to 4.8TB (80 slots). Available as stand alone or with 19” rack mount kit.
AA174 can be configured with 2, 4, or 6 UDO drives and scales from 6TB (100 slots) to 10.4TB (174 slots).
Additionally, an extension library can be added increasing capacity to up to 638 additional media slots.
Enterprise Models
Enterprise Libraries
Designed to support the data capacity requirements of the largest corporations, Enterprise libraries feature state-of-the-art automation and robotics. Libraries include dual media transport assemblies, barcode scanners, 10 disk bulk magazine load, hot swappable UDO drives, redundant power supplies, and modular scalability. Four models are available that scale from 9.8TB to 38.3TB. The Enterprise Archive Appliance is available with the Elite SMS only.
Increase storage capacity incrementally with designed-in scalability. Choose from four different models that scale to meet future data archiving requirements and can be field upgraded as required. Add UDO drives and media slots to scale the 164 base model to the AA238 within the same cabinet; add expansion bays to scale from the AA238 to the AA438, or the AA438 to the AA638.
Additionally, an extension cabinet can be added doubling capacity to 76.6 TB.
Features & Benefits
Worry-free Archiving with UDO Write Once Read Many media that preserves data unaltered for greater than 50 years
Minimized Risks with regulatory compliant ISO standardized optical media that exceeds industry requirements - the data is there when it is needed, unaltered, and capable of being randomly accessed.
Reduced Operating Costs - once data is written to media it no longer requires a constant power source to maintain the data. Systems reduce overhead and operating costs by: minimizing the cost and frequency of data migrations through extended media life, removing static data from expensive primary and backup systems freeing up valuable resources, and lowering power, cooling and maintenance costs.
Decreased Administrative Costs - The easy-to-use robust Archive Management Software with GUI interface simplifies administration and offers easy-to-implement unattended monitoring - configure it once and let it run.
Conserves Technology Related Expenditures – substantially reduced need for system migrations and technology refreshes
Low-Cost Disaster Recovery – automatically create multiple copies of media and store one copy offsite. Storage of off-lined media does not require special environmental conditions.
Scalability - As data storage requirements increase, libraries can be easily expanded within the same footprint offering investment protection through capacity expansions and "future proof" system upgrades.
Field Proven Robotics – incorporates state-of-the-art robotics for transporting media to and from drives. Dual media transport assemblies and auto calibration increase uptime and maximize productivity.
Optional Cloud and/or Encryption
Readily Available Support Services - one service contract covers multiple components
Deployment
NAS System Standard Network Deployment
ASTI’s network attached storage solutions integrate with existing standard networks via Dual 1 GB Ethernet ports, , which can be bonded for increased network bandwidth or configured for redundant backup. Supporting heterogeneous Windows and UNIX/Linux environments with via the Common Interface File System (CIFS), Network File System (NFS), and FTP protocols.
NAS Archiving Solutions Configuration Considerations
Highly adaptable NAS archiving solutions can be tailored to any industry, environment, or organization. There many considerations that drive which hardware components and software features that are needed for NAS Archiving Solution configurations. As an example, if one or more of the following AMS software features are needed: Replication, Encryption or Cloud, then the Elite SMS may be required. Determining whether data needs to be archived on optical media, Cloud, or both will affect both the hardware and software required for the system.
Generally, when configuring a NAS archiving system it is necessary to establish how much data is to be archived, the type and size of the files, and the frequency of data ingestion and recall. This knowledge is helpful when determining SMS performance requirements, library model and capacity, optical drive needs and RAID size. One must also take into account whether there is existing data on other devices that will need to be migrated to optical media or the Cloud. ASTI professional services are available to help with data migrations and determining the most efficient and secure method of transferring data.
Highly specialized Sales Engineers are on hand to answer configuration questions and help determine the type of system needed for the specific application. Contact ASTI Sales at: 719-593-7900.
The Archive Appliance product line features modular architecture and design in order to provide customers with an optimized data archiving solution. Each Network Attached Storage (NAS) archiving solution can be configured specifically for the needs of the organization according to capacity, scalability, performance, features, and budget.
