Spectra Logic
Spectra Logic Corporation builds backup and archive solutions for secondary storage to protect data after it migrates from primary disk. Spectra Logic's primary products are tape libraries and data deduplication appliances. Spectra Logic's corporate headquarters and US-based manufacturing have been located in Boulder, Colorado since the company was founded in 1979[1]. Spectra Logic is a privately held company[2].
Spectra Logic Founder, Nathan C Thompson
Spectra Logic was founded in 1979 by Nathan C. Thompson in his apartment while he was an engineering student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mr. Thompson is currently the Chairman and CEO of the company[3].
Noteworthy Firsts by Spectra Logic
Spectra Logic was the first company to automate Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) magnetic tape in a robotic autoloader (tape library)[4]. Spectra Logic was also the first tape library vendor to implement the iSCSI networking protocol in its products[5]. Spectra Logic was again first when it released a tape library with integrated hardware-based data encryption[6].
Spectra T950 and High Performance Computing (HPC)
One of Spectra Logic's unique products is the Spectra T950 tape library. The Spectra T950 is unique because of the method in which the media tapes are stored in the tape library. The tapes are bundled in trays called TeraPacks. A TeraPack holds ten tapes, which increases the density of the tape storage and simplifies the loading and unloading of the tapes from the library[7].
Spectra Logic has Spectra T950 installations in several High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, including NASA Ames, Argonne National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. These customers have chosen the Spectra T950 because of high storage density and energy efficiency.[8]
On 20 April 2009, NASA Ames announced that it would replace ten (10) Sun Microsystems/Storagetek silo tape libraries with two (2) Spectra Logic T950 tape libraries. The new tape libraries from Spectra Logic allowed NASA Ames to reclaim 1400 square feet of floor space and increase its storage capacity from 12 petabytes to 32 petabytes. The new Spectra Logic tape libraries use 20,000 tape cartridge slots and LTO-4 (Linear Tape-Open) drives[9].
Further reading
External links
- Search Storage (Techtarget) site on tape backup and libraries
- Tape backup solutions on Spectra Logic website
- Deduplication on Spectra Logic website
- BusinessWeek profile of Spectra Logic
- Zoom Information profile of Spectra Logic
- Storage History on storagesearch.com
- University of Colorado biography of Nathan C. Thompson, founder of Spectra Logic
References
- ^ "Spectra Logic".
- ^ "Spectra Logic Finds Niche in High-End Tape Storage".
- ^ "Nathan C. Thompson".
- ^ "Storage Notes: Every ISP Will Need a Tape Library".
- ^ "Spectra Logic enables iSCSI on tape libraries".
- ^ "Spectra gets backup encryption right".
- ^ "Spectra Logic Finds Niche in High-End Tape Storage".
- ^ "Spectra Logic Scores Data Archive Wins as HPC Market Gets "Greener"".
- ^ "NASA dumps Sun, sticks with tape for archives".