QStar SDJ/STJ Simulated Jukeboxes

QStar has extended the boundaries of storage management with the addition of hard drive support in a simulated jukebox mode. By utilizing this technology, users are able to overcome some inherent operating system limitations, gain the ability to perform some functions that were previously only available to jukebox and library customers and setup real-time mirroring between simulated libraries and actual removable media storage libraries to provide solutions to the most challenging network storage issues. With mirroring now available between disk based simulated devices and actual devices, and by taking the security of a transaction logging cache, a system independent disk format with added event based mirroring, QStar provides an even more powerful data management solution.

QStar offers two types of simulated jukeboxes within a hard drive configuration, Simulated Disk Jukebox (SDJ) and Simulated Tapes Jukebox (STJ). SDJ/STJ can group together multiple native file systems as a single large storage repository. This allows multiple devices to be managed as a single device or volume, overcoming operating system limitations on the size of a single logical volume. Also with SDJ/STJ there is no limitation to the number of files that can be stored in the QStar Standard File Format volume nor is there any file size limitation.

QStar Software Advanced Features
Take advantage of features from other QStar products previously only available for removable media technologies. For instance, make copies of data from simulated volumes to removable media volumes automatically with QStar's Copydisk function. This allows users to make backup or distribution copies of data when needed. SDJ/STJ also allows users to create disk images in a standard exportable format such as ISO or UDF, which can later be burned onto CD/DVD or MO/UDO/PDD. In addition users can create a data set that can be mirrored at a later point in time. Volumes can be configured to logical views that make sense for a specific application. Users can either select the block-size and number of blocks for each simulated media or they can use a predefined value for the medium size.

VIRTUAL LIBRARY OFFERS MIRRORED PROTECTION FOR ARCHIVE DATA

With this configuration QStar can manage physical disk space available on a Hard Drive (Local Disk, RAID, DAS, NAS) or hard drive based write-once appliance (CAS) as if it were media loaded into an actual library as an Integral Volume set. The Hard Drive or write-once appliance may be partitioned to simulate virtual shelves and allows full use of jukebox commands and behaviors.

Enhanced Security for CAS Appliances – Many regulations require timely access to archive data. By managing archive data on a disk array or Content Addressable Storage (CAS) appliance and mirroring that data to a removable media archive device, users gain faster access to compliance data by accessing it from the disk array or CAS Appliance. CAS devices provide fast and reliable archive storage in a revision secure environment, and QStar provides the user with the ability to mirror data managed by the CAS device. SDJ/STJ allows users to further protect that archive data by writing a second copy either to another CAS device or to an optical or tape storage library. Should the array fail for any reason, data is still accessible from the secondary device. This extends the level of protection beyond a single appliance for a more robust archive disaster prevention plan.

SDJ/STJ fully supports QStar HSM, Data Director, Network Migrator and MultiStor.