Speed, simplicity and ease of installation make the OnStream Data B.V. backup solution ideal for single-workstation or workgroup server backups.
OnStream Datas system, released in May, is the first high-speed USB 2.0 tape drive that eWeek Labs has seen. USB 2.0 increases the speed of a peripheral-to-PC connection to 480M bps, or 40 times faster than its predecessor, USB 1.1, and also faster than FireWire.
The USB interface made it easy to connect the drive, and I had it up and running on a Windows XP workstation in no time.
OnStreams backup kit comes bundled with TapeWare data storage management software from Yosemite Technologies. TapeWares wizard interface provides simple icons and instructions for running backups, logs, reports and disaster recovery. The software is intuitive; I found it required minimal effort to run and manage backups.
OnStreams ADR2 (Advanced Digital Recording Second Generation) technology gives the drive eight-channel heads that read and write eight data tracks simultaneously and spatially distributes error-correction code, improving data reliability and recovery.
The ADR2.60usb drive delivers 60GB of compressed capacity (30GB native). Transfer rates of up to 5MB per second (or 18GB per hour) are possible with data compression software.
The OnStream ADR2.60usb and TapeWare XE backup software support Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server; and Windows XP Home and Professional.
OnStreams complete backup kit is priced at $729 and includes the ADR2.60usb tape drive, one cartridge and Yosemites TapeWare XE backup software. Additional cartridges are priced at $64 each or $181 for a three-pack. More information is available at www.onstream.com.