XenData XOA-20 stores video on RAID, LTO-5 tape drives

At the 2011 NAB Show, XenData will launch the XOA-20, a new scalable online archive. The technology provides up to 140TB of usable RAID capacity optimized for professional digital video applications and delivers strong data protection, automatically writing files to both RAID and LTO-5 data tape.

Additionally, files that are rarely accessed may be moved offline to free up RAID space. The base XOA-20 provides 20TB of usable RAID capacity in a 6RU, 19in form factor. Up to six additional 20TB RAID expansion units may be added, scaling the system to 140TB.

Whereas a simple RAID system leaves data vulnerable to systemic failures caused by water damage, excessive heat or a virus, the XOA-20 protects data by writing a second instance of all files to LTO-5 tape cartridges within a 24-slot robotic tape library. As the LTO cartridges become full, they may be exported from the tape library for retention in an off-site location.

The XOA-20 uses Windows Explorer to provide an interface that flushes files from the RAID, freeing up disk space and enabling restore from LTO if required. After flushing to offline, files remain in the archive file system as sparse files. If there is an attempt to read an offline file, the XOA will issue an on-screen message or e-mail alert that identifies the particular LTO cartridge, which is then imported into the tape library to restore the file.

The XOA-20 has four 1Gb/s Ethernet ports and is also available with dual 10Gb/s Ethernet ports as an option. It supports FTP and the CIFS/SMB network protocols and is optimized for Windows and Apple OS X clients. The XOA-20 is compatible with a wide range of applications including most MAM and automation systems.

See XenData at the 2011 NAB Show in Booth N6511.