Spectra Logic has launched its OSW-2400 Optical SAS Switch to support data center tape storage connectivity.
According to the company, the new switch provisions SAS fabrics as a cost-effective alternative to fiber channel networks, with connection costs up to 70 percent less than comparable fiber channel infrastructure.
Through the use of active optical cables, the switch can connect distances of up to 100 meters, thus enabling SAS fabrics to cover data center floor spaces up to 10,000 sqm (107,639 sq ft) and connect between floors or extend to nearby buildings.
The switch is based on the Serial-Attached SCSI 4.0 (SAS-4) standard and provides up to 48 24G lanes operating at 22.5 Gbps, delivering 1.08 Tbps of bandwidth, or an aggregate data transfer rate of 108 Gbps, an improvement of up to 50 percent, according to Spectra.
The switch’s energy consumption sits between 40-136 watts, depending on configuration, while its hot-swappable dual power supplies and redundant cooling fans “offer the highest reliability.”
The OSW-2400 switch supports current-generation SAS-3 tape drives including LTO-9 and IBM TS1170 Enterprise Tape Drives and provides backward compatibility with SAS-2 devices. In addition, Spectra said the switch preserves investments in previous-generation host bus adapters and SAS-enabled tape drives including LTO-6, LTO-7, LTO-8, and IBM TS1160 Enterprise Tape Drives.
"The Spectra OSW-2400 Optical SAS Switch represents a unique and transformative step forward in data center tape connectivity," said Nathan Thompson, CEO, Spectra Logic. "By reducing or eliminating the need for expensive fiber channel infrastructure, organizations can simplify their tape operations and achieve greater flexibility, while maintaining the performance and reliability they expect."
The Spectra OSW-2400 Optical SAS Switch is available for delivery in Q1 2024.