2008-10-20: PoINT Software & Systems GmbH presents archiving solutions and the next generation of CD/DVD/BD publishing solutions at SYSTEMS
Siegen. PoINT Software & Systems GmbH presents the latest version 3.1 of PoINT Archiver at SYSTEMS (hall B2, booth 450). The software allows network wide and automated file archiving. As a new feature both NetApp appliances and tape based StorageTek products can be used as archive medium. Any server within the network can be implemented into the archiving process via TAFS (Tiered Archive File System) agents. Moreover, PoINT shows version 6.0 of PoINT Jukebox Manager, a solution for data storage on optical media (CD/DVD, MO/UDO, PDD, BD). The software controls the readability of media and data in regular, definable periods or on manual trigger. This way, companies have certainty about the long-term readability of their files. PoINT’s exhibition programme for this year’s SYSTEMS is rounded up by presenting the disc publishing software PoINT Publisher NG. The software is based on the flexible .NET-Technologie and enables the professional production of labelled CD/DVD/BDs and the control of the media production via clients.
Thanks to the new PoINT Archiver version 3.1, the centralized automated tiered archiving of files is installed with only few mouse clicks. The user can define via configurable filters and rules (“Policies”) which data has to be archived, removed or even deleted and when the corresponding operation has to be executed. PoINT Archiver supports nearly all common mass storage (hard disk, tape, optical storage) and it enables simultaneous archiving of files on different systems. This heterogeneous basis allows companies to react fast to technology changes.
By the new TAFS clients archived files can be replaced by a link into the archive – even on the Windows servers in the network. Thus storage capacity on the expensive primary hard disks can be saved, so that the hard disks will have to be enlarged less often. At the same time backup and restore times of the relieved systems can be shortened. In contrast to the simple removal of a file from one storage location to another, no adjustments regarding the workflow or applications have to be carried out. The files can still be accessed by the original path over the file system.
Huge archive storage like for example optical jukeboxes and the newly supported NetApp appliances or SUN StorageTek tape systems can this way be used company wide, which has a positive influence on the energy balance (kWh/GB) especially when using optical media or removable media respectively. The latest version of PoINT Archiver allows accessing archived files within a CD/DVD/BD production system without the intervention of the administrator due to the fact that the system is recognized as coherent archive storage with optional access.
The next generation of CD/DVD/BD Publishing Solutions - Load Balancing included
PoINT Publisher NG combines the robust and powerful core of the previous PoINT Publisher generations with the flexible .NET-Technology. The server components control the connected CD/DVD/BD production systems. Via the intuitive graphical user interface of the client application it is possible to create copies of media, new data CD/DVD/BDs, audio CDs or print jobs and submit them to the server with only a few mouse clicks. The production status and the status of the devices can also be controlled network-wide.
To produce as many media as possible in little time and fully automated, PoINT Publisher NG is able to split up the different jobs to four production systems. In case for example media or ink is used up in one system, all incoming new jobs will be redirected to another system, until media or ink is replaced.
If requested, the media production can also be controlled by the file systems without the client application. Therefore, the files in question will be copied to a pre-defined directory on the server. The user defines the rules, which start the production and write the files to the media and label the media afterwards. This so called Event Controlled Recording (ECR) enables the network wide implementation of CD/DVD/BD production systems, even in heterogeneous networks.
Besides ECR, it is also possible to use the Batch Interface of PoINT Publisher NG to integrate the media production into existing workflows. By means of an easily understandable script language the media content, print file and further job attributes are defined as project and transmitted to the server. This way, applications like “Patient CD”, “Direct Marketing” or “Just in Time Production” are possible.
Media quality check ensuring long-term availability of archived data with PoINT Jukebox Manager 6.0
Loss of business critical data can mean the end for a company. This even applies to archived data, which have to be held accessible for a longer period of time. In this context factors like energy consumption, migration frequency and the lifetime costs of data become very important. These demands still correspond to the strengths of optical media (CD/DVD, MO/UDO, BD). The energy efficiency of optical archive solutions has already been confirmed by corresponding studies and TÜV certificates. To be able to decide on a migration of data on the facts only and thus optimizing the frequency accordingly, PoINT Jukebox Manager offers functions which have not be offered up to now.
PoINT Jukebox Manager enables companies to archive their data safely on CD, DVD, Magneto Optical Disc (MO), Ultra Density Optical (UDO) as well as on Blu-ray Disc (BD). Thus they are stored physically unchangeable and a manipulation is impossible. The new readability check provides that optical media and files are checked in definable periods or on manual trigger for their readability. After completion, the administrator receives a notification which enables him to create copies on time in case of need. Besides the classical safety measures like mirroring of media or clustering of server, the long term availability of data of optical media is this way even more increased.
About PoINT
PoINT Software & Systems GmbH, Siegen, is specialized in the development of software products and system solutions in the field of optical storage media (CD, DVD, MO, UDO, PDD, BD) and magnetic tapes (e.g. AIT, LTO, DLT, StorageTek). Besides these complete solutions PoINT also offers its know-how in the form of software-development-kits, which can be easily integrated into other applications. PoINT products are distributed by 50 partners in more than 25 countries world-wide and have been installed successfully in about 2 million installations. The product portfolio ranges from publishing of CD/DVD/BDs, professional audio- and video-recording to business critical network solutions, e.g. in the DMS-environment or in complex storage hierarchies, which are based on automatic systems (e.g. jukeboxes or CD/DVD/BD production systems) with optical media or magnetic tape.