QUALSTAR Tape Libraries

TLS - 4000 AIT Tape Libraries
TLS - 5000 SAIT Tape
TLS - 6000 DLT Tape Libraries
TLS - 8000 LTO Tape Libraries
RLS Series Rackmount Tape Libraries
TLS Rack Mount Option
SANSmart Fibre Channel Option

Automated tape handling has been prevalent in mainframe computer centers for over 20 years. The benefits of this technology are now widely available to users of low cost, high density cartridge tape formats.

Tape automation products are generally divided into two groups: autoloaders and libraries. Autoloaders house 1 tape drive and a small number of cartridges, typically 6 to 12. Limited in both capacity and throughput, they are primarily intended to support simple backup operations and are designed for occasional use, moving a few cartridges once a day.

Tape libraries invariably house 2 or more drives and from 10 to 100's of tapes. Libraries are designed for continuous, unattended operation and allow simultaneous reading and writing to multiple drives. Most libraries also offer key features such as barcode readers to scan labels on cartridges, and an I/O Port for importing and exporting individual tapes under application control. A Fibre Channel Option makes any model a SANSmartSM library.

Qualstar designs and manufactures libraries for the popular AIT, DLT and LTO, tape formats, housing up to 12 tape drives and 600 cartridges. Barcode support is standard in most models and I/O Ports are available. Over thirty models provide combinations of capacity and throughput to match any storage management application requirement. Our software partners provide a full range of backup, concurrent backup, HSM and archival packages for virtually every platform.

Our TLS and RLS Series libraries incorporate a number of innovations that improve reliability and performance, including:

- Inventory Sentry® to allow the library to be opened to read handwritten cartridge labels without forcing the unit off-line for an unnecessary inventory of all cartridges. - Closed loop servo control of all motions for absolute position accuracy. - Leadscrew-driven mechanisms for highest reliability, instead of belts and pulleys.