A simple way to monitor and report on performance, utilization and health of tape resources. Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance provides full visibility into the utiliza-tion, performance and health of the tape drives and media in a tape library environment. The detailed insight provided by ReadVerify Appliance can lead to operational improvements by helping to complete backup jobs on time, minimize purchases of unnecessary resources and prevent premature wear of overused resources. ReadVerify Appliance collects data directly from the tape drives and library during data transactions, without impacting the storage applications.

1. IBM Systems and Technology
Data Sheet
Crossroads ReadVerify
Appliance
A simple way to monitor and report on performance,
utilization and health of tape resources
A tape library, with its associated drives and media, represents a signifi-
Highlights cant investment in a corporate data center’s disaster recovery and archive
infrastructure. However, while storage applications provide feedback on
●● ● ●
Helps reduce data risk by monitoring the success or failure of a data transfer, little information is available on
library activity and providing alerts on the
health and integrity of the tape drives and resource efficiency or root cause failure isolation.
media
Data transfer failures and tape errors can be the result of a complex mix
●● ● ●
Optimizes tape resources by providing
visibility into the root cause of incomplete of issues relating to the tape drives, media, network and applications, and
backups, unbalanced drive usage and can increase risks to data, system down time and budget impacts. With
low performing assets today’s IT departments operating with fewer personnel, tighter budgets
Helps meet regulatory compliance and
●● ● ● and shorter cycles, effective tape monitoring is a vital key to managing
reduce long-term data risk through fully costs, preserving data integrity and maintaining system reliability.
automated, policy-driven validation of tape
media readability (requires ArchiveVerify
optional feature) Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance provides full visibility into the utiliza-
tion, performance and health of the tape drives and media in a tape library
Provides dynamic, multivariable user-
●● ● ●
managed reporting for understanding
environment. The detailed insight provided by ReadVerify Appliance can
complex system interactions and project- lead to operational improvements by helping to complete backup jobs on
ing future budget and system needs time, minimize purchases of unnecessary resources and prevent premature
wear of overused resources. ReadVerify Appliance collects data directly
from the tape drives and library during data transactions, without
impacting the storage applications.
ReadVerify Appliance also supports two advanced features. ArchiveVerify
(optional feature) offers the fully automated ability to verify readability
of long-idle or suspicious media, providing an audit trail for regulatory
compliance policies. The Read Verify Advanced Reporting integrated
feature gives customers the dynamic ability to generate fully customized,
multivariable reports for identifying hidden patterns and relationships
between the different components of their tape environment.

2. IBM Systems and Technology
Data Sheet
“Our work is not simply a question of backup
and archiving. We also ensure that these
processes run in a highly reliable and
efficient manner and that the quality
of data backup and recovery is always
optimal. The ReadVerify Appliance from
Crossroads helps us to make this a reality.”
—Dr. David Corney, leader of the Petabyte Storage Group, e-Science Centre,
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
The ArchiveVerify license enables the ReadVerify Appliance
to verify the specified total number of tapes within a library.
This 1U ReadVerify Appliance is rack-installable in a customer Each unique tape bar code gets associated with an ArchiveVerify
supplied rack and includes ReadVerify functionality for the first license at initial verification. Any tape can be verified an unlim-
500 tape cartridges in an IBM® TS3500 or IBM TS3310 Tape ited number of times, but once the tape is retired, the associated
Library. Additional ReadVerify tape capacities are supported license is consumed.
with additional feature codes. Optionally, ArchiveVerify and
integrated ReadVerify Advanced Reporting functionality are
also available as feature codes. These functionality features
can be ordered at time of purchase or for already-installed
“Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance has
IBM TS3500 or TS3310 Tape Libraries. Although the provided statistical data on the health
Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance 3222 Model RV1 is available of our tape storage infrastructure
through IBM, product fulfillment, service and support are and allowed us to achieve significant
provided by Crossroads Systems, Inc.
improvement in the performance and
The ReadVerify license enables the ReadVerify Appliance to utilization of our backup and archival
monitor the specified total number of cartridges situated within resources. We can now evaluate and
the libraries. The cartridge count is not associated with specific optimize all of our tape storage operations,
tape bar codes; it is measured by the total number of occupied
tape slots in the library at any given time.
resulting in substantial performance
improvements.”
—Rico Magsipoc – Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Chief Technology Officer,
UCLA
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3. IBM Systems and Technology
Data Sheet
ReadVerify Advanced Reporting is a single, turn-on license Why IBM?
for each appliance that allows full dynamic reporting across IBM invented the concept of using tape recording media for
all monitored libraries and partitions per appliance. data storage in 1952 and has been leading the IT industry ever
since. Innovative IBM data storage products help customers
ReadVerify Appliance is a standalone, self-contained device backup and restore data for business continuity, recover their
that installs quickly into the storage area network (SAN). data in times of disaster and archive data for long-term recall.
ReadVerify Appliance integrates seamlessly into the existing
tape environment, and there’s no need to install agents or The Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance complements
additional servers or purchase components. Data collection IBM’s solution by giving visibility to the overall health
is performed out-of-band of the backup or data application of the tape library environment and components. This is
and has no impact on the existing tape storage infrastructure. accomplished through advanced media management features
such as performance and utilization analysis, tape media and
drive statistical data logging, and automated report and alert
functionality.
Crossroads ReadVerify Appliance (IBM 3222-RV1)* at a glance
1U Appliance providing real-time tape library monitoring and alerting
Individual drive utilization and performance metrics as well as comparisons across drives in a system
Statistics correlating activity by drive and cartridge
Supports IBM LTO and TS11x0 Tape Drives, as well as additional tape device
Tape/drive read/write error correlation and drive cleaning metrics
Policy-based alerting and reporting
Daily and weekly reporting on tape library system activity—load-balancing, drive performance and utilization, hard/soft errors correlated to
drives and tapes, alert activity
Configurable alerts on potential data recovery issues, such as communication loss, degrading device conditions, stuck tapes,
excessive tape loads
Accessible database of all monitored and derived statistics
ArchiveVerify optional feature
Enables users to ensure that the data written to tape media can be read for recovery or compliance audits
Offers a completely automated process to validate media readability based on administrator-applied policies
Verification procedures test the entire length of written media with no disruption of existing operations, all while the data remains securely
within the library
ReadVerify Advanced Reporting integrated feature
Generates dynamic, customizable, multivariable reports
Identifies complex relationships that may impact system behavior, saving operation and capital expenses
Long-range data views help project future budget and system needs
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