Magneto-Optical Jukeboxes... Reaching New Heights

Most VARs and systems integrators who deal in document and imaging management are aware that a major change - the introduction of 5.2 GB MO drives - is occurring with jukebox technology. To learn what this change means, Business Systems Magazine (BSM) spoke with representatives of two vendors involved in the changes. One is Dave Tynan, v.p. of marketing for Plasmon I.D.E., a manufacturer of jukeboxes for enterprise and mid-sized businesses. The other is Fred Bedard, general manager of the Integrated Products Storage Division of Sony, a manufacturer of jukebox drives among myriad other products.

MO Disks Increase Capacity
Both Tynan and Bedard were in total agreement, which is not surprising, given their products complement one another. Tynan suggested that, until fairly recently, magneto-optical technology had not kept up with other storage technologies. RAID and CDs were competing on one side and tape technology on the other, with magneto-optics in the declining middle. All that has changed, however, with the introduction of fourth-generation, higher capacity drives and media, and new jukeboxes to accommodate them.

Earlier this year, Bedard advises, Sony began production of a 5.2 GB, ISO-standard drive which doubles the capacity of previous systems. The new drive will read all prior generations of ISO-standard media, yet with no increase in price from the earlier 2.6 GB drive. In May, Plasmon introduced its M500, a 500-slot, 2.6 terabyte (TB) jukebox which uses the Sony 5.2 GB drive. The M500 is designed for enterprise environments, where networked multiple users demand fast and frequent simultaneous large-file retrieval/writing. The company plans to use the 5.2 GB drive in all its M-Series jukeboxes and will keep the pricing at the same level as its last generation (2.6 GB) drives. The new M500 will sell for under $90,000.

5.2 MO To Enter New Markets
The combination of the 5.2 GB drive and the 500 slot, 2.6 TB jukebox represent a new beginning for magneto-optical technology. Hospitals, for example, according to Tynan, now demand library (jukebox) systems with capacities of up to three terabytes. They need to store patient records in these libraries and, obviously, doctors need to access patient information quickly. This ‘time-to-data' varies considerably among magneto-optic and tape libraries. ‘Time-to-data' on a tape library is measured in minutes. With the new 5.2 drive and the 500-disk library, ‘time-to-data' is 12 seconds. To a physician needing to see the results of a CAT scan this difference in ‘time-to-data' can literally mean the difference between life and death.

How VARs Can Benefit From The Change
BSM queried Bedard and Tynan how VARs should react to the introduction of 5.2 GB MO. Both stressed the need to understand what is the correct storage system for each client. Too often, they submit, storage technology is misapplied by well-meaning, but misinformed VARs. Tynan cites a VAR's selling a CD tower when a library/jukebox is called for. Tynan says towers are easy to sell and install and are appropriate for smaller firms that don't require graphics. For larger organizations, or those that use graphics, however, jukeboxes are far more appropriate.

Tynan and Bedard also say VARs should work with independent software vendors to stay abreast of new developments.