INFOBrief
Dell™ PowerVault™ 110T
DLT VS 80 Tape Drive
Key Points
The PowerVault 110T
DLT VS 80 Tape Drive is
an enterprise-class tape
back-up solution
designed to provide high
performance, capacity
and reliability in a halfheight format.

The Dell™ PowerVault™ 110T DLT VS 80 is the first half-height DLT
tape drive. Delivering true DLT reliability, performance and capacity,
the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 brings enterprise-class backup into
the entry level and rack mount servers. The PowerVault 110T DLT VS
80 is setting the stage for a new generation of small form factor linear
tape storage products that are expected to surpass current tape
capacity and performance benchmarks, while maintaining high data
integrity.

The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive incorporates the latest in
advanced technology. The drive delivers the high performance and
reliability required in the departmental and enterprise server
marketplace, and will provide additional options for customers
currently implementing full-height DLT technology.

The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 is based on the Digital Linear Tape
(DLT) Standard that has been the backbone for enterprise customers
for years. The slim form factor of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80
enables it to support space-conscious rack-mounted servers, a fast
growing segment in the industry today. Previously the only
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technology available in our rack-mounted servers was the less reliable
DDS technology.

The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 provides for a maximum capacity of
40GB native, 80GB compressed1. The tape drive performance –
maximum data transfer rate – is 3MB/second native, 6MB/second
compressed1.

The PowerVault DLT VS80 costs less than Dell PowerVault DLT7000
and PowerVault LTO drives, providing users with an economical
choice for immediate tape backup capacity.
Background
One of the more dramatic trends in the server market is the recent
movement towards rack-optimized buying behavior. While storage
capacity is always increasing, the requirement for rack-mounted servers
has increased even more dramatically. Space is now a premium! With the
PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape drive, users now have the first enterprise
class tape drive in a half-height form factor for their rack-mounted server.
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive offers the capacity and
performance tape technology that the space sensitive and price sensitive
market demands, with a maximum transfer rate of 3MB/s (native) and
media capacity of 40GB (native). The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape
drive’s reduced parts count and low power requirements are designed to
improve product reliability and maintainability. Finally, the PowerVault
110T DLT VS 80 technology offers high data integrity through the
utilization of its error correcting code (ECC), read-while-write verification,
and patented TapeSense circuitry.
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 is not only backward compatible (read)
with the DLT4000, it now offers much needed performance and capacity
improvements. With the introduction of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80,
a new family of half-height drives emerges, bringing rapid technology
implementation that addresses the market’s increasing storage needs.
The adoption of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 mirrors the strategy that
Dell has implemented with its server products. According to the IDC
white paper, Dell Addresses the High Growth Modular Server
Architecture Market, “In order to manage the growth of their data centers,
IT managers and SP data-center managers are increasingly turning to a
1
The actual compression achieved by the drive depends on the data that is being compressed.
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modular server architecture. Rapid deployment, cost-effective platforms,
and improved manageability head up the list of customer demands for the
new modular data centers.” The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 fits those
requirements.
Product Description
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive is a standard-length, 5.25-inch halfheight form factor, half-inch tape drive, which reads/writes using industry
standard DLTtapeIV media. The drive can read and write up to 40GB of
uncompressed capacity at a 3MB/second (uncompressed) maximum
sustained transfer rate across an Ultra SCSI-2 interface. The PowerVault
110T DLT VS 80 drive also includes “tape sense circuitry” which is
designed to prevent the “swallowing” of tape take-up leader. The
PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape drive is a complementary offering to the
current DLT tape drives, and is positioned to economically address the
higher capacity requirements of enterprise customers.
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 is available either as an integrated drive
within both the tower and rack mounted servers (for example, the
PowerEdge™ 2550 or PowerEdge 4400), or as a tabletop. The external
version is packaged in a housing that includes its own power cord, SCSI
cable, cooling fan and power supply. (A SCSI controller card is optional.)
Tape Technology Formats
Digital Linear Tape (DLT) and LTO (Ultrium) are the two enterprise tape
technologies currently offered by Dell to be used with PowerEdge servers.
The main differences between the two technologies are compatibility,
reliability, capacity, and cost. The introduction of the PowerVault 110T
DLT VS 80 brings form factor into the mix.
LTO tape architecture was co-developed by HP, IBM and Seagate to
become a new generation of tape storage products that are expected to
compete with the current tape capacity and performance standards set by
DLT. LTO, along with DLT, offers the advantages of linear multi-channel,
bi-directional formats with enhancements in server technology, data
compression, track layout and error correction code to maximize capacity,
performance and reliability.
The SDLT drive competes in the same market segments as LTO Ultrium.
For years now, DLT Technology has been widely accepted by customers as
the tape technology of choice when data integrity is of utmost importance.
Now with the smaller form factor of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80, new
markets can now enjoy the reliability, capacity and performance of linear
tape technologies.
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As data protection and near-line storage demands continue to increase,
there is a significant market opportunity for the enterprise class of
products offered by linear tape technologies such as DLT and LTO. In the
past, the rack mounted server market has been inadequately served by
current solutions that do not fit inside the server, forcing the customer to
adopt solutions that are bulky or awkward to configure at best. The
PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 half-height drive now provides an in-server
option for those customers. The capacity, performance, form factor,
reliability and low cost are ideal for the rack mount server customer. A
further comparison of the various DLT and LTO specifications is shown in
Table 1.
Table 1
Feature Comparison of LTO and DLT Tape Technologies
DLT VS 80
DLT7000
SDLT
DLT1
LTO
(Ultrium)
Now
Now
Now
Now
Now
200,000
hours
250,000
hours
250,000
hours
200,000
hours
250,000
hours
Capacity
(native)
40GB
35GB
100GB
40GB
100GB
Maximum
Capacity
(compressed)
80GB
70GB
200GB
80GB
200GB
Transfer Rate
(native)
3.0MB/s
5.0MB/s
11.0MB/s
3.0MB/s
15MB/s
(10GB/hr)
(18GB/hr)
(37GB/hr)
(10GB/hr)
(54GB/hr)
6MB/s
10MB/s
22.0MB/s
6MB/s
30MB/s
Read DLT
4000
Read DLT
4000
Read all
DLTtapeIV
formats
Read
DLT4000
LTO Ultrium
Open Format
30,000 hours
30,000 hours
30,000 hours
30,000 hours
60,000 hours
Feature
Availability
Mean time
between
failures
(MTBF) at 100
percent duty
cycle
Maximum
Transfer Rate
(compressed)
Read
Compatibility
Head Life
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Positioning the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape drive is a complementary product
when compared with the current DLT offering. The PowerVault 110T DLT
VS 80 product is the best option for customers who:

Require additional capacity and backwards compatibility to their
existing DLT4000 tape drives

Value capacity at a far more affordable price when compared with the
DLT 7000

New customers that require the capacity and reliability of proven DLT
technology and are price conscious

Purchase a rack mounted server (i.e. PowerEdge 2550, 6450) and want
a slim internal or external tape drive
Features and Benefits
The features and benefits of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive include
the following:

Form Factor
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive is the first DLT drive that
features a half-height form factor. The smaller form factor allows DLT
technology to fit into more servers.

Performance
The maximum transfer rate of the PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 drive is
3.0MB/s (or 6.0MB/s compressed). This translates into a native
sustained backup rate of 10GB/hr.

Capacity
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 using standard DLTtapeIV media has
up to 40GB native capacity (80GB compressed).

Data Integrity
The DLT VS 80 format uses an ECC scheme to reconstruct missing or
damaged data to maintain data integrity. The read-after-write feature
provides an immediate verification of the write to ensure quality. If
the CRC block is correctable using ECC, the write operation continues,
and if not, then the block is rewritten. In most cases the CRC is
correctable using ECC, and there is no degradation in write
performance.

Reliability
The PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 tape drive boasts a demonstrated
200,000 hrs MTBF and 30,000 hrs of head life. The patented
“TapeSense Circuitry” design is used to prevent “swallowing the
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leader” failures that can occur with other DLT technology. Reliability
should also be improved with the lower power draw required for the
PowerVault 110T DLT VS 80 and its simplified tape path design.

Manageability
DLT technology has been a mainstay in the enterprise community for
over 10 years. This time tested technology has been adopted and
supported by most major software and operating system OEMs.

Reliable DLTtapeIV Media
DLTtapeIV media is designed to withstand over 50,000 passes. The
increased longevity of the tape can help protect customer investment
and increase reliability.
A summary of the features, functions, and benefits is also shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Features, Functions, and Benefits of the PowerVault 110 DLT VS 80
Tape Drive
Feature
Form Factor
Dell Enterprise Systems Group
Function
Benefit
The 110T DLT VS 80 is
truly a half-height drive.
Customers have more
options for their rack mount
servers
Performance
The 110T DLT VS 80 drive
boasts 3.0MB/s maximum
data transfer rate (native).
This translates to 10GB/hr.
Customers can back up
more information in less
time.
Capacity
The native capacity of the
110T DLT VS 80 media is
40GB.
Customers can store
additional 5.0GB of data
(native) compared with
DLT7000.
Data Integrity
The 110T DLT VS 80 drive
uses an immediate readafter-write feature to
provide immediate
verification of a write
operation.
Data is instantly verified if
written properly, which
increases data reliability.
Drive Reliability
Patented “tape sense
circuitry” designed to
prevent “swallowing the
leader.”
Tape Sense Circuitry
provides more “up-time” for
customers.
Manageability
Wide support for DLT
technology throughout the
industry.
Customers can put the
110T DLT VS 80 to
immediate use.
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Hardware Requirements and Supported Software
Hardware
The following Dell platforms support the use of the PowerVault 110T DLT
VS 80 drives internally:

PowerEdge 1300

PowerEdge 1400SC

PowerEdge 2400

PowerEdge 2450

PowerEdge 2500

PowerEdge 2550

PowerEdge 4400

PowerEdge 6400.
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 110T and PowerVault 120T:

Computer Associates ARCserve 2000 for Windows NT/2000

ARCserveIT 6.61 for Linux

ARCserve 7 for NetWare

Veritas Backup Exec 8.6 for Windows NT/2000

Backup Exec 8.5 for NetWare
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Service and Support

Three-year limited warranty2 and three years of standard Next
Business Day3 parts replacement and one year of Next Business Day
labor.

7-day/24-hour Lifetime Telephone Technical Support for
troubleshooting and diagnosis of Dell hardware.

7-day/24-hour E-support services featuring extensive online support
capabilities
2For
a complete copy of our Guarantees or Limited Warranties, please write Dell, USA, L.P.,
One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682.
3Service
may be provided by third-party. Availability varies. Technician will be dispatched if
necessary following phone-based troubleshooting.
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
claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the
marks and names of others.
©Copyright 2001 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. Dell cannot be responsible for errors in
typography or photography.
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