The Qualstar Q-Series at a glance
| Model | Type | Slots | Max drives | LTO drives | Interfaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualstar Q8 | Autoloader | 8 | 1 | LTO-8, LTO-9 | SAS, FC |
| Qualstar Q24 | Compact library | 12 or 24 | 2 | LTO-8, LTO-9 | SAS, FC |
| Qualstar Q40 | Library | 40 | 3 (1 with LTO-10) | LTO-8, LTO-9, LTO-10 | SAS, FC |
| Qualstar Q80 | Library | 80 | 3 (1 with LTO-10) | LTO-8, LTO-9, LTO-10 | SAS, FC |
Configurations reflect the current Qualstar price list. Ask us about options not shown.
Choosing the right configuration
- Slots: allow for a full backup set plus your retention rotation, a cleaning cartridge and room to grow. As a rough guide, divide your total retained data by the native capacity per cartridge, then add 20–30%.
- Drives: one drive is fine for smaller backup sets. Add a second or third to shorten backup windows or to restore while a backup is running.
- Interface: SAS connects directly to a backup server. Fibre Channel suits SAN environments or libraries shared between several hosts.
- LTO generation: LTO-10 gives the most capacity per slot, but it cannot read older tapes. Choose LTO-9 if you need to keep reading LTO-8 media. See LTO-9 vs LTO-10.
Want a comparison with other brands? We also supply autoloaders and libraries from HPE, IBM, Quantum, Dell and Spectra Logic. See autoloaders and tape libraries.