Datasheet

clear roadmap to 12Gbs in the future. A SAS connection can support four SAS wide lanes or potentially 4 x
300MB/s per connection.
Increased availability – another benefit of SAS-based storage subsystems is the native dual port capability
of each SAS drive, providing a redundant path to each drive in the event of a controller failover. In addition,
since each drive is on a separate point-to-point connection, losing a drive connection only affects a single
drive. Compare this to parallel SCSI in which losing a bus affects all the drives on the bus.
Greater flexibility – probably the best known benefit of SAS for external storage is its configuration
flexibility. A SATA drive can be plugged into a SAS mid-plane without any modifications or changes, the
controller and the software will seamlessly support a system with a mix of SATA and SAS disk drives.
Why choose a SAS interface DAT drive?
The above benefits of SAS explain why system manufacturers, including HP, are rapidly moving to SAS
interfaces to connect internal peripherals. Customers purchasing a HP DAT Tape Drive with native SAS
interface can benefit from:
Wide availability of SAS ports - SAS interfaces are now widely available on servers and systems.
Furthermore with server I/O bus technology moving from PCI-X to PCI-Express (PCI-e), customers may find
it difficult to obtain Parallel SCSI host bus adapters for the PCI-Express bus.
Investment protection - this new generation interface is supported by a robust multi-vendor roadmap and
already boasts a clear future out to 12Gb/s.
Installing SAS tape drives
HP SAS tape drives are available as internal and external models. Both models are supplied with a special
split cable that allows you to connect to an internal port (if available) on the embedded SAS controller
inside the server. While connection via the split cable provides the most cost-effective way of connecting
the tape drive to an HP ProLiant server, this will require a clear understanding of your server's current SAS
configuration before installing.
For the most up-to-date information about recommended SAS HBAs and supported cabling configurations
with your make and model of server, always refer to http://www.hp.com/storage/SPOCK . A full
installation guide is included with the product.
Native USB
The USB (Universal Systems Bus) interface was conceived out of a need to simplify computer peripheral
device connection. It has been so successful that the majority of computer systems and servers shipped
today offer multiple native USB 2.0 ports.
HP is the first company to develop a native USB DDS/DAT tape drive. Where other "USB tape drives" rely on
a USB converter, HP's USB interface is fully integrated with the drive and uses the SCSI command set within
the USB payload. The benefit of this implementation is that it gives the drive full SCSI functionality and the
flexibility of USB without the additional cost of a converter.
By offering native USB 2.0 DAT drives, HP aims to provide customers with a number of benefits:
Greater usability
Plug-and-play connectivity - the system automatically detects and configures the tape drive.
QuickSpecs
HP DAT Tape Drives
Product Highlights
DA - 11883 North America — Version 40 — March 29, 2013 Page 7