This isn't strictly a question about bacula, but bacula-users is
the best place I can think of ask for informed opinions about
tape libraries.
After a couple of years where we ran Bacula in tandem with an
ancient release of Networker, writing to a StorageTek 9730, we've
convinced the budgeting authorities to fund a new tape
library for Bacula's exclusive use.
My university's tendering process has produced bids for three
libraries:
1) Dell M6000 (apparently a rebadged Quantum Scalar i500, which
was the ADIC i500 before Quantum purchased
ADIC)
2) Quantum Scalar 50
3) HP MSL2024 or MSL 4048 (24-slot and 48-slot variants of the
same design; we'd probably settle for
24 slots)
I've found in the bacula-users archives messages from people who
successfully run bacula with the M6000 and the MSL2024 or
MSL4048, and I imagine mtx can talk to the Scalar 50 as well.
But I'm wondering if anybody with experience with the libraries
(and especially experience with more than one of them), can
provide advice on choosing between them. Of course the thing
that's hardest to judge from sales literature is how reliable the
hardware is.
The numbering above, incidentally, reflects my initial preference
based on reading sales literature. The Dell/ADIC system comes
across as the best engineered solution (but maybe that just means
that the brochures are better written). Given the pricing
available to us, either the M6000 or the Scalar 50 would provide
a more attractive combination of slots received for money paid,
and either could be expanded. On the other hand, maybe
non-expandable solutions like the MSL libraries is simpler and
thus more robust.
In all cases, we're contemplating a library with a single LTO-3
drive. A new research lab might contribute and let our budget
stretch to two drives (though that would really only serve to add
redundancy, since our volume won't necessitate writing to two
drives simultaneuosly), but I've tentatively ruled out LTO-4.
For at least a year, we'll be using a repurposed dual Pentium-III
server with an Ultra-160 interface to run the Storage Daemon;
even spooling to/from a local RAID array, we're likely to have
trouble streaming an LTO-3 drive, let alone LTO-4. (Which
reminds me, HP claims that its Adaptive Tape Speed technology is
better than the competitors at slowing the tape down to avoid
shoe-shining when the incoming data is slow, because it can vary
the rate continuously, rather than in discrete quanta; does
anyone have any idea if this really matters?)
In all likelihood, any one of the available choices would be
satisfactory, but I'd welcome any insights that aid in making the
choice.
Thanks.
--
John Jorgensen LCD System Administrator
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SF.Net email is sponsored by: The Future of Linux Business White Paper
from Novell. From the desktop to the data center, Linux is going
mainstream. Let it simplify your IT future.
http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/8857-50307-18918-4
_______________________________________________
Bacula-users mailing list
Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
