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XenData has announced upcoming support for ALTO disk-based archives from Disk Archive Corporation, expanding the storage options available on its X20-S and X40-S appliances. Previously limited to LTO libraries and cloud object storage, the systems will now offer integrated file replication across all three tiers.
The appliances present a unified file system interface that scales beyond 100 PB and supports access via SMB, NFS, and FTP. Integration with Microsoft Active Directory enables ALTO archives to be added to existing Windows domains or workgroups without requiring proprietary APIs, allowing standard applications to access archived content directly.
“Customers will be able to archive their files on ALTO disks, LTO cartridges and public cloud for the ultimate in redundancy across storage types,” said Dr Phil Storey, CEO of XenData. “For those that want to simply archive their content to ALTO, our appliances offer a high-performance storage solution suitable for a range of applications.”
Use cases cited include video production, post-production, medical imaging, surveillance, and scientific research requiring high-capacity active archives. ALTO’s architecture allows disks to spin down when idle, reducing power consumption and extending disk lifespan. Compared to LTO, ALTO-enabled systems offer faster concurrent restores by spinning up multiple disks simultaneously.
The systems may also be paired with XenData Media Portal, a browser-based interface for previewing and retrieving archived video and image files.
ALTO support for the X20-S and X40-S appliances is expected to be available in late October 2025.
