InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
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November 6, 2000 |
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New Formats Fight To Dominate Tape Storage
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By Larry Kahaner
But Quantum isn't standing idly by as challengers trespass on its turf. It will soon introduce the Super DLT 220, which will hold about 110 Gbytes per cartridge with a slightly slower transfer rate of 11 Mbytes per second. "Next year, we'll have a 16-Mbyte [per second] product," says Phil Treide, manager of SuperDLT product marketing. It's expected to be priced at about $8,000, though no official pricing has been announced.
Quantum also plans to introduce a new optical technique called Laser Guided Magnetic Recording that helps position the servo mechanism, which keeps the tape on track, by beaming a laser on to a strip of reflective material on the tape's reverse side. This eliminates the need to write servo reference marks on the front side of the tape, allowing more space for data storage, Quantum officials say. Users are divided by the issue, which transcends technological factors. Some favor the out-and-out smashing of Quantum's de facto monopoly, while others take a more reserved attitude toward the new world order of tape storage.
One outspoken critic of SuperDLT is Craig Hibbert, senior Internet engineer at EMC Corp.'s Internet services group. EMC builds storage systems for companies and integrates many different storage products. "We've tested LTO and it's fantastic," says Hibbert. "We don't see a future for DLT. I've told my clients to hold off buying DLT so they can buy LTO." For Hibbert, the crucial failing of DLT is its slower speed compared to LTO, but he also decries the lack of choice.
Another LTO advocate is Scott Dunlap, a systems engineer for xpedx, a division of International Paper Co. in Macedonia, Ohio, that helps large data users maintain data-storage facilities. Its customers in the printing industry can have files ranging from 100 Mbytes to 2 Gbytes in size, so while high speed is important, so is high capacity.
Dunlap has tested LTO since July and says he's impressed, citing transfer rates of 11 Mbytes to 15 Mbytes per second. "It was buggy at first, but that's to be expected. All the bugs are now fixed," he says. Dunlap has been using Sony's AIT 8mm tape format, but says that LTO's lower price was attractive. More important, he says, many companies are making LTO products. "We tried DLT but didn't like it because it was from just one company," he says. "For us, having competition is important."
One of SuperDLT's most powerful weapons in its war with LTO is its backward compatibility. Except for the first round of offerings, all SuperDLT products will be backward-compatible with current DLT products, so users won't have to scrap their existing systems. "For some customers, compatibility will be important," says Robert Amatruda, a senior researcher at IDC.
But so is fear of the unknown. For many, SuperDLT is the low-risk choice. "If I have to find data on a backup tape, it has to work," says Duane Ternes, director of IT at Electric Lightwave Inc. in Vancouver, Wash. "It's not a place I experiment. When it comes to backups, I'm conservative. DLT is a proven technology; LTO is new and unproven."
Electric Lightwave is an integrated provider of enhanced data services, switched voice, frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode, and Internet access to businesses that require a large amount of bandwidth, especially those engaged in E-commerce, Ternes says. He tested LTO in March and April and found bugs, which have since been corrected. Still, for him, LTO isn't ready yet. "It will be viable in the long term," he says. "They'll be a player, but it's not there yet." Also affecting Ternes' decision to stay with DLT are concerns over his vault of backup tapes. "DLT will continue to support the tapes, some of which are up to 10 years old," he says.
Josh Chessman, director of advanced technology at Merlin One Inc., supports DLT. The Quincy, Mass., company has 65 to 70 customers, including the Boston Globe and The New York Times, that use its archival service. MerlinOne helps customers store photos for future sale, and is an authorized seller of National Football League photos. For Chessman, staying with DLT is a no-brainer. "LTO is not proven," he says. "DLT will be increasing its size [to SuperDLT], so there's no reason to change." But Chessman notes that the advent of LTO will be good for him and others, even if they stay with DLT. "Prices will have to come down because of LTO competition," he says.
While the two competing formats battle for acceptance, the war may be won or lost based on decisions by third parties--companies that assemble and sell tape libraries--as they're often the decision makers for large users of tape storage. Steve Whitner, director of marketing at Advanced Digital Information Corp. in Redmond, Wash., says his company will be the first to ship libraries of both SuperDLT and LTO. "We're a neutral party. We're going to carry it all," he says.
Whitner says DLT will maintain its market share, but LTO may let users move up to midrange drives as their needs grow. "LTO gives a good bang for the buck," Whitner says. No matter who wins, he says companies like his will benefit by being able to offer clients more choice and lower prices.
LTO seems to have the forward momentum currently, with IBM beating Quantum's SuperDLT to market with a less costly and faster product. While IBM's Maness and his counterparts at Seagate and HP have promised to support their customers' existing DLT systems, with so much riding on LTO's success, some customers have privately expressed concern about their commitment to current DLT installations.
The situation is still shaping up. "The tape market is measured in years, not quarters," IDC's Amatruda says. "Time to market is an issue, but it's not that important an issue."
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Photo of Dunlap by Roger Mastroiani
Photo of Chessman by Stephen Sherman
Illustration by Kaly Lemay
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