
The information age has led to ever more reliance on critical business data. This data is stored on magnetic disk platters in hard drives, and is prone to deletion or corruption as a result of human error or disasters of any kind. To overcome this issue, we create duplicate copies of this data, so that it can be restored in the event of data loss. In the information technology field, this is commonly referred to as backup.
Companies spend significant portions of their annual IT budget on data backup and disaster recovery plans, to ensure that they are prepared for all types of possible outcomes. It is widely known that data loss can cripple a business, and unlike other business assets, it is uninsurable!
There are many available solutions for data backup these days. The most popular and widespread backup devices are sequential-access tape backup solutions, also known as streamers. Tape solutions are an attractive choice due to their low media cost and long archival stability. However, in recent years much effort has been put into the creation of random access, hard drive based backup solutions. The constant linear decrease in hard drive cost per gigabyte has made it an attractive alternative to other storage mediums. Due to their random-access capabilities, hard drives have really fast seek times compared to sequential access tapes, resulting in quicker and easier access to data.
In 2004, Iomega introduced a hard drive based backup solution under the name REV. The initial REV cartridges had a native capacity of 35 GB, and a 70 GB model was added recently. Tandberg, a leading European data storage company well known for its LTO based tape backup solutions, has now also entered this market. The firm is making use of conventional 2.5" SATA hard disks for its new approach called RDX.

The goal of Removable Disk Exchange (RDX) system technology is to offer the performance and benefits of a hard disk, with the convenient handling and reliability of a tape system. The Tandberg RDX QuikStor is a backup solution for small office / home office (SOHO) users.
At first glance, the disk drive media looks just like a tape, and can easily be mistaken for streamer hardware. You simply insert the media into the drive just like you would a tape; when you are done you eject the cartridge, and the media is pushed out of the drive by half an inch.
The RDX QuikStor drive comes either in a 3.5" or 5.25" internal bay for SATA connections (Serial ATA), and Tandberg plans to follow up with an external drive for USB interfaces. For our tests we got hold of a 5.25" internal drive and connected it to a SATA port. The drive acts as a removable device under Windows, so you can also use it with non-hot-pluggable SATA ports. When removing the media from the drive, the device does not disappear; it has the same characteristics as a tape drive in your operating system and backup software.


The RDX cartridge is based on a 2.5" hard drive specially mounted in a plastic shell, improving its shock/vibration performance. Tandberg claims that the RDX cartridges are capable of withstanding a 1 meter (3.3') drop without incurring any damage. We had to put this to the test, so we "accidentally" dropped it from about 3 feet off the ground; subsequent testing confirmed that the drive continued to operate normally.
Tandberg currently offers cartridges in 40, 80 and 120 GB capacities. Our test sample shipped with a 40 GB cartridge, which contains a Fujitsu 2.5" MHV2040BH drive spinning at 5,400 RPM and containing an 8 MB cache. On the top rear end of the cartridge is a write protection switch, which can be switched to read-only, as an added precaution against accidental data deletion.
Our attempt to benchmark the performance of the single drive failed due to the fact that Windows determines that it is a removable device, disallowing the use of standard HDD benchmarks. We also tried to connect the cartridge directly to the system, bypassing the RDX drive; although the Device Manager showed the drive correctly, the Disk Management applet caused problems and did not work as expected.
The sequential transfer performance with uncompressed data was around 28 MB/s, which in fact is close to this hard drive's technical limit. A Fujitsu MHV2120BH had 30 MB/s average write performance, so we can conclude that our measured value is valid.

Competitors
The Iomega REV drive is also available in this category. Although both companies target tape backup with removable hard disk based solutions, their implementations differ quite significantly.
The REV media contains the disk platters and motor in the cartridge, with the read/write heads contained in the REV drive. On the other hand, RDX cartridges are based on existing 2.5" hard drives and have the disk platters, motor and read/write heads all in a self-contained package.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of having the read/write heads in the drive as opposed to the cartridge is higher shock tolerance and lower media production costs. These benefits come at the price of limited compatibility with future media, and lower performance compared to self-contained solutions. On the other hand, while the latter may offer better performance and compatibility with future cartridges, they are significantly more expensive and somewhat more fragile than the REV cartridges.
At the moment, Iomega offers two models with 35 GB and 70 GB capacities, in both internal and external forms. The 70 GB model is backwards compatible with 35 GB media (at a reduced read/write rate), but 70 GB media will not work on 35 GB REV drives. The 70 GB ATAPI model goes for around $470, and its disks are priced at around $60. The RDX QuikStor will cost about $400, which includes an 80 GB cartridge and backup software.
| Size (GB) | Price ($) |
|---|---|
| 40 | 130 |
| 80 | 210 |
| 120 | 310 |
As you can see, RDX cartridges do not have a competitive cost per gigabyte when compared with the REV media.
What You Get In The RDX Bundle
The bundle that we received included the 5.25" internal SATA drive...

... a 40 GB cartridge...

... a power adapter cable, SATA data cable, backup software and a driver CD.

The RDX Quikstor comes with Symantec Veritas QuickStart Backup, which is a powerful application that allows you to use different devices with different configurations. We found it to be easy to deploy and operate, and sufficient for all the needs of SOHO users. In our test, we were able to set up the application and create a backup schedule in about 10 minutes.











| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor(s) | 2x Intel Xeon Processor (Nocona core)
3.6 GHz, FSB800, 1 MB L2 Cache |
| Platform | Asus NCL-DS (Socket 604)
Intel E7520 Chipset, BIOS 1005 |
| RAM | Corsair CM72DD512AR-400 (DDR2-400 ECC, reg.)
2x 512 MB, CL3-3-3-10 Timings |
| System Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB
120 GB, 7,200 RPM, 8 MB Cache, UltraATA/100 |
| Mass Storage Controller(s) | Intel 82801EB UltraATA/100 Controller (ICH5)
Silicon Image Sil3124, PCI-X |
| Networking | Broadcom BCM5721 On-Board Gigabit Ethernet NIC |
| Graphics Card | On-Board Graphics
ATI RageXL, 8 MB |
| System Software & Drivers | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Service Pack 1 |
| Platform Driver | Intel Chipset Installation Utility 7.0.0.1025 |
| Graphics Driver | Default Windows Graphics Driver |
Benchmark Results
The results show that the Tandberg Quickstor is about 33% faster than its closest competitor, the Iomega 70 GB REV. Even with compression enabled, the Quickstor still outperforms the 70 GB REV’s uncompressed performance. The higher rotational speed of 5,400 RPM in the RDX drive as opposed to the REV drives’ 4,200 RPM plays a significant role in this differential. The transfer rate of the RDX Quikstor is on par with that of the Fujitsu MHV2120BH we have tested in the past.

The RDX QuikStor performed very well in our tests, with higher transfer rates and lower average seek times that significantly surpass other backup solutions . Given the design of the cartridges, which are based on self-contained 2.5" hard drives, we expect this performance to increase with the advent of newer and faster hard drives.
These newer hard drives will also result in higher capacity cartridges, which will meet the demands of our ever increasing amounts of data, without the need for a drive upgrade. It is expected that 160 GB cartridges will be available in Q1/2007, with 200 GB and 250 GB models coming in the third quarter of the new year.
Author's Opinion
As you can clearly see from the benchmarks, Tandberg's RDX technology has the edge over the competition in terms of performance. The significantly higher cost of its media, however, might make you think twice before purchasing the RDX Quikstor Backup solution.
In my opinion, Tandberg is off to a good start, and this is a great backup alternative if the added performance justifies the cost, or if you are just an early adopter. By all means, though, don't rely on too few media: hard drives are still mechanical components that sooner or later could let you down. If you go with a cartridge for every day of the week, you should be fine.
The beauty of this drive is in the forward compatibility of the product, and its expected longer-than-average lifetime. Unlike Iomega's REV solution, which requires the purchase of a new drive to support future media, the RDX Quikstor drive will be compatible with larger and faster next-generation cartridges.
Related Articles:
Back Up Your Business Data With Tandberg's 420LTO and 220LTO Streamers
Iomega's REV Loader 280: The Ultimate Backup Master?
Iomega's REV Marks Leap Forward For External Drives
Hard Disk Charts
Iomega REVs Up To 70 GB
