IBM ProtecTIER Entry Edition Version 3.3 Supports 35TB

IBM System Storage ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.3:

Adds NFS backup environment support as a file system interface (FSI) option
Supports larger repository sizes up to 35TB with TS7620 Expansion Drawers installed
Includes a wizard-based software upgrade facility designed to enhance the user experience when upgrading code levels

ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.3 software augments its FSI interface by functioning as an NFS backup target. It supports FSI mount points for NFS and CIFS to be defined on the same ProtecTIER system. It supports replication between a maximum of eight ProtecTIER FSI systems. Any one ProtecTIER FSI system is limited to a maximum of three target systems within the replication grid per replication policy.

ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.3 supports additional repository capacities available on TS7620 systems using the TS7620 Storage Expansion Drawer Model EXP. When one Model EXP is attached to the TS7620 base Model SM2, it will support a repository size of approximately 23TB. When two Model EXP are attached to the TS7620 base Model SM2, ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.3 will support a repository size of approximately 35TB. For customers achieving data deduplication ratios of 25 to 1, a 35TB repository can contain up to 875TB of backup data.

ProtecTIER V3.3 also includes an automated, wizard-based ProtecTIER server code upgrade facility using the ProtecTIER Manager GUI designed to improve the code upgrade user experience. With the release of V3.3, software maintenance renewals for ProtecTIER can be automated through a services contract. Feature 9000 should be included on the software maintenance registration Product ID (PID) to indicate the desire to participate in this auto renewal process.

ProtecTIER V3.3 continues support for the Symantec NetBackup OpenStorage (OST) API announced with ProtecTIER V2.5, and for the VTL interface that has been the foundation of the ProtecTIER offerings. Supported replication grid configurations for ProtecTIER OST and ProtecTIER VTL systems are unchanged with ProtecTIER V3.3.

ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.3 is the follow-on to ProtecTIER Entry Edition V3.2.

Key prerequisites
It requires System Storage TS7610 Deduplication Express or System Storage TS7620 Deduplication Express Appliance hardware. Only backup data passed to ProtecTIER from NetBackup is eligible to utilize the optional OpenStorage interface. The ProtecTIER FSI interface requires the TS7620 Deduplication Express appliance. One or two TS7620 Deduplication Express Expansion Drawers, 3959 Model EXP, are required to be attached to the TS7620 Deduplication Express appliance to reach the 23TB and 35TB repository sizes, respectively.

Planned availability date
February 5, 2013