Spectra Logic introduces new tape storage interface

BOULDER, USA: Spectra Logic today unveiled its vision for a low-cost, massively scalable "deep storage" tier that can store data virtually forever. The company also introduced the industry's first native RESTful interface to robotic tape storage systems, Deep Simple Storage Service (DS3), which enables simple to use, cost-effective storage of large amounts of data.

Nathan Thompson, founder and CEO, Spectra Logic said,"There is a transformation occurring in how organizations amass, use and store long term data that necessitates a new tier of storage - deep storage - that delivers extreme low cost, power efficiency, high density and massive scalability.

"This tier must be designed to manage large, bulk quantities of data for extended and possibly indefinite periods of time while meeting the needs of newer data center architectures that leverage storage in the form of data objects and utilize RESTful interfaces," added he.

Until now, modern applications using RESTful, object-based architectures could not directly access tape storage and thereby receive the associated benefits (lowest cost, highest density, most power efficient, best longevity, designed for portability) because tape did not have the ability to communicate using RESTful protocols.

At the same time, RESTful interfaces have gained acceptance as a simpler, easier-to-use interface design, as evidenced by the adoption of REST by mainstream Web 2.0 service providers-including Yahoo, Amazon and Facebook, as well as organizations that use RESTful interfaces as their preference to move data around the cloud.

Spectra Logic has introduced the DS3 interface, a RESTful interface supported by all of its T-Series tape library data storage systems. By leveraging RESTful protocols, the DS3 interface enables modern architecture frameworks to easily and efficiently communicate with massively scalable deep storage technologies.

The DS3 interface allows data-intensive organizations to utilize the highest density, most cost-efficient storage for long term data retention and accessibility. DS3 is supported by all of Spectra Logic T-Series tape libraries as a standalone, deep storage solution or a current customer's library can be partitioned to add on a deep storage partition.