Maybe not an amazing deal considering that it is LTO4 only, but seller accepted offer for $100 Dell PowerVault TL2000 2U Tape Library | eBay
TL2000 for $100 (+ shipping)
- Thread starter piranha32
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given the L3 sticker on the back and the config when sold on that service tag, looks to be oldschool LTO3 and OG 320 scsi interface. probably not suuuper useful
Technically, we're still messing with SCSI with SAS, but it's definitely not the old way with differential/non and terminators.
Yep, totally. Far more expandable, much easier cabling, and far faster too. I still have a place for it compared to IDE/ATA though.
How in the world does a seller add that many pictures to the auction when they aren't the actual item for sale?
Do Shutterstock or Getty have detailed stock images of obscure computer hardware?
Do Shutterstock or Getty have detailed stock images of obscure computer hardware?
Did you receive it already, or are these pictures (of a different unit) from the seller?
The DELL library firmware will support up to at least LT06 drives with the stock library firmware. A few companies have library firmware that supports newer drives as well, and cross-flashing is possible.
One thing to be aware of is that shipping these libraries with tapes installed and/or without the shipping pin will damage the library, It is very easy to make a replacement shipping pin out of a bent paper clip. The original pins get lost because the storage position on the back of the library has no retention mechanism whatsoever - simply sliding the library partway out of the rack is enough to lose the pin.
Also, these will not operate as tabletop drives without installing rubber feet - without the feet the bottom of the library will bow inward and cause problems with the picker mechanism.
these are pictures of the actual unit. IIRC the library supports up to LTO8, but I'm not that desperate. Firmware upgrade can be downloaded from Dell's support site without a need for logging in. LTO4 should be sufficient for now, and I'm looking for an LTO5 upgrade for a little money.
The unit shipped without the locking pin, but with empty magazines. The loader initializes without problems, and that's how much I could test. I'll do more testing once I receive tapes.
Do you know any drives can be reflashed to work with the library?
The unit shipped without the locking pin, but with empty magazines. The loader initializes without problems, and that's how much I could test. I'll do more testing once I receive tapes.
Do you know any drives can be reflashed to work with the library?
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The Dell library firmware doesn't blacklist/ whitelist drives, but they have to be IBM drives configured for library operation. HP sold their version of this library with Tandberg drives (until Tandberg got out of the LTO drive business) and those drives won't work in anything but a HP version of the library. The HP library has a different (not as nice) front panel, so it isn't just a case of swapping out the library controller.
I'm running a Dell TL4000 library with an IBM LTO6 drive, FWIW.
I doubt it will work reliably, if at all. The picker assembly expects to slide from front to back on a teflon strip on the inside of the chassis, with its weight resting on that strip. Without that support, there are some press-fit plastic gears on metal shafts and I expect the gear will strip off the shaft as it tries to grab a tape from the drive and haul it uphill to put it back in the correct magazine slot.
That is also the reason the library won't work as a tabletop without rubber feet - the bottom of the case bows inward, causing the picker assembly to get hung up on the bottom of the case.
Makes sense, thanks.
For now I test it on the shipping box, and the robot moves without issues.
For now I test it on the shipping box, and the robot moves without issues.
$90 later I'm a proud owner of an LTO5 drive for the library. It's yet to be seen if it works
so its basically luck to which unit you may get. lto-3 iscsi or lto-4 sas so far. Anyone else buy one?
Also how loud is your unit? Does it have super loud fans?
Also how loud is your unit? Does it have super loud fans?