Evaluating the PeAk 8Pak autoloader - Top Technology Showcase - Hardware Review - Product/Service Evaluation

Computer Technology Review, July, 2002 by Alyona Kononova

Our test environment for the PeAk 8Pak autoloader included the following: Novell NetWare 5.0 server, Novell NetWare 3.12 server, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 server, PC and Mac Platform Workstations. This is very typical for small- to mid-size companies that would probably be most interested in this product.

The 8Pak is compact and well-designed and can be an excellent replacement or upgrade for DDS users. It installed relatively easily. I ran nearly 100 backup jobs and a number of restores. The device performed well and met all of its price, performance, and capacity specifications. This combination makes it a price and performance leader.

The 8Pak has an operator panel and control keys in the front panel. The operator panel is an LCD display that provides information about the status and current operating mode. The messages that are displayed are informative and easy to understand. The operator panel allows the operator to initiate activities like: show messages/logs, change mode, setup device, show setup information, show hardware information, move cartridge from one slot to another, from slot to tape drive, from tape drive to slot (a very useful feature), inventory, unit test, and re-initialize. These operations are possible to perform by selecting menu options. The menu is well-organized and easy to use and navigate.

Software

In my experience the most popular and best-performing backup software for an environment like ours are Veritas Backup Exec, and Computer Associates ARCserve. The 8Pak Autoloader is qualified under Arcserve2000 (see http://esupport.ca.com/index.html?/public/storage/infodocs/nt/arc2000 .asp). The 8-Pak can be used with Backup Exec when running Q2.15 emulation mode.

I installed the 8Pak on a server running Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Backup Exec. V8.6 from Veritas was used as the backup software to test the unit. The unit ran flawlessly and met expectations.

www.peakstar.com

RELATED ARTICLE: An Affordable Solution

The PeAk 8Pak helical scan (8mm) autoloader is an entry-level tape automation solution that offers 728GB of storage capacity at a transfer rate of 37GB per hour with AIT 1, 1,040GB of storage at a transfer rate of up to 56GB per hour with AIT2, and 2,080GB of storage at a transfer rate of up to 112GB per hour with AIT3. The 8Pak is an affordable solution that accommodates a single AIT drive and eight AIT tape cartridges. A single unit easily fits on a standard tabletop or two units fit side by side in a standard 19-inch rack-mount cabinet, extending its application into multi-server environments.

Alyona Kononova is system administrator for WestWorld Productions (Beverly Hills, CA).