IBM Diamondback Tape Library
Ultra high-density tape for cyber resilient data archiving
Overview
Enterprises today confront the challenge of managing more data than ever before, a problem that’s especially severe for organizations with hundreds of petabytes of data. Examples can be found in areas as diverse as machine learning, autonomous driving, pharmaceutical research, particle accelerators, and astrophysics.
In addition to storing all this information, organizations also need backup and recovery systems for everyday data protection tasks. But even those systems aren’t sufficient to counter the risk posed by floods, wildfires or other natural disasters—in addition to the increasingly prevalent threat of cyberattacks.
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The IBM® Diamondback Tape Library was designed to provide sustainable, cost effective data storage to address the problems of increasing data volumes, rising energy costs, frequent cyberattacks, and shrinking IT staffs.
IBM Diamondback is available with full IBM service through the IBM Service Expert Care Basic and IBM Service Expert Care Premium services. IBM Service Expert Care is recommended to provide optimal system availability and reduce downtime of drives and libraries. Other IBM Diamondback features include:
- Support for standardized reporting via the server interface to help administrators integrate IBM Diamondback with existing software.
- Support for library management via REST API commands over SCSI.
- Customer serviceable, high-performance robot with dual grippers to increase mount performance and system reliability.
- Optional 5U of rack space on top of the library for Fibre Channel switches, tape data movers, or IBM Spectrum® Archive nodes.
- Support for Open Recommended Access Order (oRAO), which can deliver up to 73% faster data retrieval access1 to your LTO Ultrium 9 tape cartridges.
- A physical “air gap” to isolate tape libraries from an organization’s primary data storage systems and help improve cyber resilience.
Ultra high-density storage
IBM Diamondback delivers ultra high-data density, with up to 27.9 PB2 of native data in a single eight-square-foot library using LTO Ultrium 9 cartridges.
Massive capacity
Using standard 2.5:1 compression, each IBM Diamondback Tape Library can store up to 69.7 PB, which provides the high capacity organizations need to retain their growing volume of data.
Enhanced security
IBM Diamondback features tape-drive encryption, automatic data-path failover, dual robotic grippers, and WORM media support to improve management and help reduce risk in operations.
Enhanced cyber resilience
Because it’s physically separated from an organization’s primary storage systems, IBM Diamondback Tape Library provides an “air gap” that helps isolate archived data and improves cyber resilience.
Product Specifications
- Provides ultra high-density storage—up to 27 PB per rack.
- Stores up to 69.7 PB per library with 2.5:1 compression.
- Enhances security with encryption and WORM media.
- Improves cyber resilience with air-gapped isolation.
IBM Diamondback—Specifications
Tape drives
IBM LTO-9 tape technology
Native data rate
400 MB/sec
Native capacity
18 TB
Cartridge types
IBM Ultrium 9, 8
Number of drives
Up to 14
Compression rate
2.5:1 compression
Number of tape cartridges
Up to 1584 (up to 1548 recommended with swap cells, cleaner cartridges and diagnostic media)
Maximum data transfer (native)
20.2 TB/hr
Maximum capacity (2.5:1 compression)
69.6 PB (1548 cartridges)
Drive interface
8 Gb/sec multi-mode Fibre Channel
8 Gb/sec single-mode Fibre Channel
12 Gb/sec SAS
Service magazine
One magazine with 10 cartridge slots
Management
Remote graphical user interface (GUI)
SCSI and REST API (compatible with existing TS4500 APIs)
Operating systems support
RHEL, Linux®, Unix, IBM AIX®, HPUX, Microsoft Windows