INFOBrief
Dell™ PowerVault™ 112T
DLT VS 80 & DDS4
Tape Rack Enclosure
Key Points
The PowerVault 112T
Tape Rack Enclosure is
the world’s first 1U tape
enclosure available with
linear technology. It
provides an incredibly rack
dense tape backup
solution, holding up to 2
drives and up to 160GB of
compressed data with DLT
VS 80.

The Dell™ PowerVault™ 112T Tape Rack Enclosure is the first 1U
linear tape array on the market. Available with either DLT VS80 or
DDS4 technology, the PowerVault 112T is designed specifically for
Dell rack servers including the PowerEdge™ 1650, 2550, 2650, 6450,
6650 and PowerVault 715N and 755N Network Attached Storage
servers.

The Dell PowerVault 112T enclosure offers incredible capacity in a 1U
form factor. The dual drive design can hold up to two (2) half height
DDS4 or two (2) DLT VS80 tape drives and up to 80GB (DDS4) or
160GB (DLT VS80) of compressed data.
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
The PowerVault 112T tape enclosure is ideal for users who require
value priced, reliable, high capacity storage for rack optimized server
environments.

The PowerVault 112T enclosure has two SCSI ports that enable both
drives to run in parallel, which can help to reduce the time required to
backup multiple server environments. Or, both drives can be attached
to a single server for increased backup performance.

Designed for simplicity and ease of use, the PowerVault 112T works
with Dell rail kits so it can easily pop into a Dell rack. The tool-less
design of the PowerVault 112T allows tape drives to be installed and
removed easily.

The PowerVault 112T helps maximize server uptime by pulling tape
drives out of the server. This means that it is not necessary to take a
server down in order to move a tape drive.
Background
One of the key features for tape storage systems in today’s market is
offering rack-optimized solutions. Not only is there forecasted growth in
the rack-optimized server market, there is also an expected increase in
demand for rack-optimized tape storage solutions. Designing and
implementing easy to use rack solutions is now a requirement for server
customers. However, the solutions must improve manageability, be cost
effective, and be rapidly deployable. The PowerVault 112T enclosure
meets all of these requirements.
The other trend in the server market is that space is becoming more critical
as servers become denser and use more power. Users want backup
solutions that are outside the server. Now that DDS4 and DLT VS80 are
both half height drives, smaller rack solutions are possible. The
PowerVault 112T is a unique tape backup solution, incorporating DLT
technology and room for up to 160GB of data in just 1U of rack space.
Product Description
The PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure is a 1U tape array that can hold
up to two (2) DLT VS80 drives, and up to two (2) DDS4 drives. It was
designed for ease of: use, configuration, and field service. The top of the
unit is removable and allows easy access to the drives and components.
The PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure has two half-height drive bays,
two SCSI cables, a power supply, and fans. All components, including the
drives, can be serviced without the use of tools.
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The PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure has two status LEDs on the
front bezel. The green power LED indicates that the unit is powered on
correctly. The amber fan LED illuminates when the system detects a fan
failure.
Compatible with the Dell rail kits (rapid rail, versa rail and 2-post), the
PowerVault 112T allows customers to incorporate a rack-optimized
backup solution with their rack servers. Designed for simplicity and ease
of use, installing the PowerVault 112T is as easy as taking it out of the box
and sliding it into a rack.
Table 1
Feature Comparison of DLT VS80 and DDS4 Tape Technologies
Feature
DLT VS 80
DDS4
Approximate Mean time
between failures (MTBF)
200,000 hours at
100% duty cycle
483,000 hours at
12% duty cycle
Capacity (native)
40GB*
20GB*
Maximum Capacity
(compressed)
Up to 80GB*
Up to 40GB*
Transfer Rate (native)
Up to 3.0MB/s
Up to 2.75MB/s
(10GB/hr)
(9.9GB/hr)
Maximum Transfer Rate
(compressed)
Up to 6MB/s
Up to 5.5MB/s
Maximum Transfer Rate
(compressed) with two
drives attached to single
server
Up to 12MB/s
Up to 11MB/s
Read Compatibility
Read DLT 4000
Read and Writes
DDS2-3
Technology
Linear
Helical
Interface
SCSI LVD
SCSI LVD
*For tape drives, GB means 1 billion bytes; total accessible capacity varies depending on operating
environment.
Positioning the PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure
The PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure is a rack optimized tape
storage solution for users who:
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
Purchase a rack-mounted server (i.e., PowerEdge 2650, 6650) and
want a direct attach tape backup. (Previously purchased external
drives.)

Require affordable, rack-optimized tape storage solutions.

Want to migrate up in speed and capacity from DDS4 technology
to DLT VS80 technology.
Desire tape backup solutions that are external to the server.


Require the use of two tape drives running in parallel without the
added cost of automation.

Are new users that require the capacity and reliability of proven
DLT technology and are price conscious.
Features and Benefits
The features and benefits of the PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure
include the following:

Rack optimized tape backup
Sleek 1U design has room for up to two DLT VS80 drives or up to two
DDS4 drives.

Easy to Use
The PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure was designed for
simplicity. The tool-less design can help a user to install or remove a
drive or component quickly.

Fast Backup
The maximum transfer rate of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive is
3.0MB/s (6.0MB/s compressed) and 2.75MB/s for DDS4 (5.5MB/s
compressed). This translates into a native sustained backup rate of
10GB/hr (20GB/hr compressed) for DLT VS80 and 9.9GB/hr (19.8GB/hr
compressed) for DDS4.
Two SCSI ports enable both drives to run in parallel, reducing the
backup time for multiple server environments. Additionally, the two
drives can be attached to a single server for increased backup
performance.

High Capacity
Using the 80GB of compressed capacity in each DLT VS80 tape drive,
the PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure holds up to 160GB
compressed capacity. And with DDS4, the PowerVault 112T can hold
up to 80GB of compressed data.

Dependable reliability
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape drive boasts a demonstrated
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200,000 hrs MTBF and 30,000 hrs of head life. The patented
“TapeSense Circuitry” design is used to prevent “swallowing the
leader” failures that can occur with other DLT technology. See the
INFOBrief at
http://www.dell.com/downloads/us/pvaul/tbu_110t_vs80_infobrief.do
c for more information on this drive.

Maximum Server Uptime
With tape external to the server, customers don’t have to take a server
down to remove a tape drive.
A summary of the features, functions, and benefits is also shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Features, Functions, and Benefits of the PowerVault 112T Tape Rack
Enclosure
Feature
Function
Benefit
Form Factor
The PowerVault 112T is a
1U rack enclosure
Store up to 160GB for their
rack servers using a small
amount of rack real estate.
Easy to Use
Tool less design
Remove components and
drives without the use of
tools
Performance
The DLT VS80 drive has a
transfer rate of 10GB/hr
The dual SCSI interface of
the PowerVault 112T
enables the drives to run in
parallel.
Capacity
Reliability
Dell Enterprise Systems Group
The PowerVault 112T
holds up to 160GB of data
Patented “tape sense
circuitry” designed to
prevent “swallowing the
leader”
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The first 1U tape array on
the market that holds
160GB of data.
Tape Sense Circuitry
provides more “up-time”
June 2002
Hardware Requirements and Supported Software
Hardware
The following Dell platforms support the use of the PowerVault 112T Tape
Rack Enclosure:

PowerEdge 1650

PowerEdge 2550

PowerEdge 2650

PowerEdge 6450

PowerEdge 6650

PowerVault 755N

PowerVault 715N
Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0

Microsoft Windows 2000

Red Hat Linux

Novell NetWare 5.0/5.1
Backup Software Supported
The following list of Backup Software is Dell tested and supported for the
PowerVault 112T Tape Rack Enclosure:

Computer Associates ARCserve 2000 for Windows NT/2000

ARCserveIT 7 for Linux

ARCserve 7 for NetWare

Veritas Backup Exec 8.6 for Windows NT/2000

Backup Exec 8.5 for NetWare
Dell cannot be responsible for errors in typography or photography.
Dell, PowerVault and PowerEdge are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation. Microsoft
and Windows are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Linear Tape-Open,
LTO, and Ultrium are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Seagate. DLT is a trademark
of Quantum Corporation; VS 80 is a trademark of Benchmark Storage Innovations. Other
trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities
Dell Enterprise Systems Group
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June 2002
claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the
marks and names of others.
©Copyright 2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any
manner whatsoever without the express written permission of Dell Computer Corporation is
strictly forbidden. For more information contact Dell
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