CAS, tape and optical
Most XDSM-compliant file systems don't support the ability to interface with removable media such as tape and optical, or content-addressed storage (CAS) such as EMC's Centera. To interface with these storage devices, some vendors tightly couple their HSM and backup software products. For example, IBM and Symantec have meshed their HSM and backup software to take advantage of the tape and optical APIs developed for their backup software clients and use them to allow their HSM software to support a wider range of removable media. This integration also allows the HSM software to interface with the backup software catalog. By making a call to the backup software catalog, the backup software can recall a file on any tape or optical media and then present that file back to the requesting host.

Other products, like CommVault's QiNetix DataMigrator, let users ease into an HSM implementation that manages tape and o...

CA's BrightStor HSM works in a similar manner to CommVault's product; EMC's DiskXtender is also transitioning to this type of architecture. BrightStor HSM borrows its tape and optical interface from CA's BrightStor ARCserve backup software and bundles it into its HSM client agent. CA also provides the ability to communicate with some CAS products like EMC Centera.

EMC faces a different dilemma. Although its Disk-Xtender product uses the same set of tape and optical APIs it always has, EMC has two sets of APIs that interface with disk and optical media: one from NetWorker (through its acquisition of Legato) and one from DiskXtender. An EMC spokesperson says EMC is working on one set of APIs for both products.

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