Exabyte VXA 1

Exabyte VXA 1 ... new standard for data restore and interchange while offering extraordinary tape drive performance. The enabling foundation of VXA technology is its revolutionary Discrete Packet Format. DPF enables data to be written and read in packet form, providing users a data restore capability unprecedented in the storage industry. The packets are uniquely addressed and can be read in any sequence.

Conventional streaming drives must operate at a constant speed, and when the flow of data to or from the drive is interrupted, the tape must be stopped and repositioned. This "backhitching" significantly accelerates media and headwear, which in turn adversely impacts data reliability and the life of the drive mechanism. In contrast, the VXA-1 drive adjusts tape motion to match the host transfer rate, eliminating backhitching. This capability significantly enhances media and drive reliability while optimizing backup and restore job times. OverScan Operation is a technique for reading data packets independent of track shape or geometry. By reading packets with multiple scans, VXA virtually guarantees data restore. This also ensures media interchange - data on any VXA tape can be read by any VXA drive.