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IBM – cool and bonkers!

The first time I saw this on a Powerpoint, I laughed and it still makes me laugh. It’s probably rather childish of me but I want to see what happens when it breaks and there’s a tape stuck in it between the libraries! I’m looking forward to engineers turning up with ladders to try and extricate stuck tapes!

I am just disappointed that IBM didn’t make the casing out of a completely clear material so that you could see the tapes whizzing between the libraries; that’d have been awesome and with some flashing lights; it would have been the best thing since open-reel tape!

EMC have nothing as cool and as bonkers!


7 Comments

  1. I like better the solution of StorageTek for this problem (is this a real problem?). It’s more simple to move the cartridges between the SL8500 libraries, if someone real needs this. I still don’t have the problem why is it necessary to move tapes between libraries which can hold 10000 cartridges. But, if somebody buys it has a market 🙂

    cheers,
    Jacint

    1. Martin Glassborow says:

      Actually, I know that IBM have already sold to some customers who do have real problems. It also means that you can fit the libraries into a more flexible floor-plan.

      Martin

      1. for the original topic: I so some cases (while were working at the support side) when tape stucked at the passthrough, not too many. Bigger problem that the transport between libraries takes longer and the backup sw timeouts while waiting for mount.

  2. Anthony V says:

    When you walk into some of these mega-organizations that have literally 1000s and 1000s of carts, you will see where the need is. Sure it will not be for any SMB customers, but IBM doesn’t spend the development $ unless they can see a return.

    I do agree I would like to see clear sides, like the tape libraries in the film Eraser.

  3. Martin Glassborow says:

    Anthony,
    I believe that it was pretty much created with one specific customer in mind!

  4. Jason M. says:

    The shuttle complex actually does have clear sides. The shiny looking surfaces in the image are windows. The shuttle itself has several led’s that allow you to track its position. A very cool product!

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