LTO-7 and Mac Platforms

[Tim Jones]

Additionally, I forgot to mention that the RR4522 is EOL, but that it has been replaced with the RR4522SGL. It’s the same chipset and card components, simply in a different carrier and retail box.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Michael Cinquin]

[Tim Jones] “it is truly luck that is driving your efforts and not technology.”

Well, you call it luck, I call it expected behaviour of a brand I appreciate.

I might have mis-read your first post, it really seemed like every SAS card was malfunctioning except the RR4522.
Now it appears you have no feedback from using current HighPoint cards nor current Areca non-raid SAS card.
(Of course you know this but for others reading: Areca SAS card come in Raid and non-Raid versions, and the Raid versions are known not to work with tape drives).

I have not yet resolved the speed issues with ltfs-7 reading, but the HBA card doesn’t seem to be the culprit… as Bru writes and reads from the LTO-7 deck at blazing speeds.
20170323 14:33:39|2603|charbon|[L163] START (r 18.1.1.28), CMD = '/usr/local/bin/bru -c -m -vvvvvvvvv -j -O -A -QB -f ntape1 -QX -L 2017-03-23 A073 Backup -'
20170323 14:33:39|2603|charbon|[L167] device = ntape1, buffer = 2048K bytes, media size =
Congratulations on Bru by the way, if we didn't have our own LTFS and cataloguing workflow, would certainly be an option, the software looks very well written.

Bru would also be an option if it was fast and good at ltfs, but for the moment I can't get Bru to format a tape as LTFS, it fails to find the open-source mkltfs binary. (I wrote your support about this)

[Allen Baldwin]

Hey Tim! I need those new files, firmware and IOPS. The drivers and firmware available for download on Highpoints website are outdated. Where did you get those? could you post a link?

[Tim Jones]

To Allen and all –

Because of the level of added support required when dealing with customers and tape devices, HPT has decided to NOT provide the firmware and drivers that we worked on to resolve the issues with the RR 4522 and RS 6328. While TOLIS Group has them, we are only allowed to provide them with units purchased as part of TOLIS Group kits; this was not my call.

Therefore, if you’re looking at running LTO-6 or LTO-7 drives on a Mac platform, TOLIS Group is the only source for solutions that will work properly under all situations.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Lucas Meyer]

Hi Tim,

I tried one of your competitors LTO-7 systems (which used LTFS and hooked up to my iMac via a Thunderbolt 1 cable). I found that I could back up individual files or small libraries (under 50 GB), but I got errors backing up regular sized libraries of 100 GB or more. The competitor’s support guy thought that the problem was with the tape drive hardware, but after having to send two of the drives back, I gave up. I am wondering if I was having the problem that you are describing.

So I am looking for a LTO-7 to plug into my iMac (with Thunderbolt 1) or my MacBook Pro (with Thunderbolt 2). If I order the ArGest (LTO-7) with the RocketStor 6328, will it have the necessary firmware or will I need to open a ticket? (I am hoping that I can just plug it in and use it…)

Also is the correct order number #80710-TB? I just want to check that I have the right package.

Thanks
Lucas

[Tim Jones]

Hi Lucas,

Our kit is complete – proper firmware and proper drivers. The problems that you are witnessing are so frustrating because we know that tape is a reliable mechanism for both backup and archival. Unfortunately, so many people run into what you’re seeing and write tape off as a non-starter.

Just to be a bit more clear on the issues that you witnessed – you will see this with LTFS. Many will argue this with me because they’ve had no problems – and to them I say fantastic, but we see these on all four platforms we test – Linux, Windows, OS X, and Solaris.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Lucas Meyer]

Hi Tim,

From what I was seeing, the LTFS system was working perfectly for individual files and very small libraries. However, when I started backing up libraries of 100 GB or more, I got loads of errors and never succeeded even once to get a big library to backup properly after weeks of trying. I think, if people just tested the system with one or two small files, they might not know that they had a problem.

Just to make sure that I understand:

1. The kit comes with BRU and BRU does not use LTFS. Correct?

2. And the order number for correct kit (The package with the ArGest Tape Drive, RocketStor 6328, BRU and connecting cables for Thunderbolt 1 or 2 that works with Macs.) is #80710-TS. Correct?

Sorry, ask this, but you are right that it has been frustrating having to sort through all of these problems and send two units back. I want to make sure that everything is OK, so I can just plug it in and use it when it arrives.

Thanks
Lucas

[Tim Jones]

Hi Lucas,

Sorry, I thought that I’d replied to this.

Yes, that’s the complete part number.

The kit comes with either BRU Producer’s Edition or BRU Server M&E Edition.

BRU PE “supports” LTFS in that we will format and mount LTFS tapes, or catalog tapes you’ve received from others to make them searchable within BRU PE’s restore environment, but we do not USE LTFS for actual backup/archival. LTFS is designed so that you don’t need extra software to copy files onto and off of tape, but it also lacks the features for management and reliability that using a format like BRU provides.

BRU Server does not support LTFS in any manner.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

[Jon Allen]

Hi Tim

Would the BRU software work with an IBM LTO7 drive? What card do you recommend for a non thunderbolt mac pro on osx 10.12? I’m not a business so your complete drive solutions are out of my price range.

Thanks,
Jon

[Tim Jones]

Hi Jon,

Have you given thought as to why you want LTO-7? LTO-6 is still the sweet spot in drive sales and will cost you around $600-$800 less than LTO-7.

You need everything in our package to make this work. The drive, HBA, Cables, software, and media. Our solution provides all of that right out of the box.

So, if you’ve found an external tape drive, you also need as a minimum:

SAS HBA – $400
Software – $599
SAS Cable – $59
Media – $30
Cleaning Cart – $55

If you’ve found a gray-market internal drive, you also need to add a chassis (if you can find one) for around $300.

Add that $1,143 or $1,443 to your found drive price and compare it to our bundle price.

Tim
—
Tim Jones
CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
https://www.tolisgroup.com
BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!