BIOS: Technology Means Business

Sony Electronics is now shipping its fifth generation of Advanced Intelligent Tape drives, automation solutions and data media to OEMs as well as commercial and OEM distribution channel partners.

With a compact 3.5-inch drive form-factor, AIT-5 technology is the industry’s first tape-based technology to offer up to 400GB of native capacity (up to 1.04TB with 2.6:1 compression based on the ALDC algorithm) in a single 8mm media cartridge.

AIT-5 drives are read and write backward compatible with standard read/write as well as WORM AIT-4, AIT-3Ex and AIT-3 media, so you can smoothly migrate to the higher capacity of AIT-5 storage solutions without losing access to, or compatibility with, data recorded on these prior generations of media.

For an added level of data protection, AIT-5 drives are multi-functional and support Write Once, Read Many capability when using AIT WORM media. Both standard read/write and WORM media cartridges are also now shipping to all channels.
“A full range of both OEM and Sony-branded AIT-5 products are now available, including internal drives, external drives, as well as desktop and slim 1U and 2U rack-mountable automation solutions,” said Alan Sund, Sony Electronics’ general manager for tape storage. “The addition of AIT-5 solutions to our lineup sets a new standard for capacity, reliability and value.”

Sony says it has worked closely with independent software vendors to test and certify compatibility of AIT-5 based products to ensure wide support and full interoperability with industry-leading backup and archival applications. AIT-5 technology is characterised by industry leading data density, high capacity, helical-scan recording, a new media formulation with Advanced Metal Evaporated III tape, a Remote-Memory-In-Cassette chip, advanced MR head technology, Dynamic Tracking and WORM functionality.

Each 8mm AIT-5 media cartridge boasts a massive native capacity of 400GB, and up to 1.04TB with 2.6:1 compression. The 3.5-inch, half-height AIT-5 drive has a 96MB buffer to manage data throughput and minimize buffer overruns, and a sustained native transfer rate of up to 24MB/s that is optimised for the majority of Windows-based servers installed and shipping today.

Based on a very stable rotating drum/head platform, helical-scan recording technology permits accurate and extremely reliable data recording at very high track densities. This efficient recording density, typically nearly five times greater than most linear-serpentine methods, results in reliable and space-efficient storage solutions.

Based on AME III technology, AIT-5 media achieves an extraordinary areal recording density as well as greater smoothness, high durability and reliability. AME III improves upon its predecessor, AME II, realising high output and low noise through an improved evaporated method, resulting in even smaller magnetic particles and a smoother tape that minimises the spacing loss between the magnetic head and the magnetic layer. A newly developed back coating technology with a new additive delivers a more friction-resistant surface, thus reducing guide friction and further improving reliability and long-term running stability.

Built into the AIT-5 data cartridge, R-MIC is a non-volatile chip that provides quick media loads and allows fast searches to data. The chip contains the tape’s system log, search map and user-definable information, allowing the drive to quickly advance at a high speed directly to any file on the tape.

AIT-5 drives employ more sensitive MR head technology with an increased signal output, promoting a higher level of data integrity, and enabling high performance and greater capacity per media cartridge as well as achieving backwards read and write compatibility with AIT-4, AIT-3EX and AIT-3 standard and WORM media.

The four read heads use a new Dynamic Tracking system to control relative head position to the tape media with an actuator, enabling each head to trace the narrow track path for precise and accurate reading.

AIT-5 drives are multi-functional, fully supporting both rewritable cartridges as well as WORM media. This enables organisations to choose the best backup and archival media for their needs. AIT-5 WORM media cartridges allow backed-up data to be easily accessed, but not rewritten, altered, or erased, offering a cost-effective storage technology for storing sensitive and regulated data. Sony was the first to offer WORM functionality in the mid-range tape drive price point.

The reliability of AIT-5 drives result, in part, from innovative features, such as an automatic head cleaning system, and a soft touch tape loading system mechanism. The drive cooling system is isolated from the tape mechanism, thereby limiting airborne contaminants from entering the tape path and affecting reliability. An AIT-5 drive’s mean time between failures (MTBF) is an impressive 400,000 hours at 100 percent duty cycle.

“The AIT format continues to evolve and coincide with the growing needs of both small to mid-sized business users, while scaling up to meet the ever- expanding needs of enterprise customers,” Sund said. “AIT-5 is now the highest density tape drive in the world, allowing our customers to manage fewer tapes and conserve space. It also consumes up to 40 per cent less power than competing formats, and can thus help conserve energy and significantly lower total costs of ownership while offering exceptional reliability and meeting real world performance requirements.”

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