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ATL Products P1000 Series Automated DLT Tape Library
Quantum, the keeper of DLT technology, got into the library business by buying ATL. The P1000 is roughly the same size as the Exabyte 230D and. also features a big backlit LCD display. ATL's screen is touch-sensitive, but the front-panel interface is sluggish and the overall construction doesn't measure up to Exabyte's standards. Similarly, the P1000's plastic front doors, chintzy lock, low-grade magazines and seemingly uncertain robot compare poorly to the Exabyte 230D. However, the P1000 is the only library in this group that can support four tape drives; every other device tops out at two.
The plastic doors on this library feel cheap and fragile. A round key reminiscent of that on a wind-up toy spins freely in the lock. You have to keep it spinning while you tug on the door until it opens; there is no latch. And if you tug on the door while it's locked, it bends at the bottom, which doesn't bode well for security. In this respect the P1000 is like the ADIC FastStor 22, which we also found to be lacking in this area.
The P1000's robot is the most complex of the lot. Media sits behind it in a pair of eight-cart...