Iomega REV 120GB Backup Drive

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Data industry storage has known over the years for many changes, some simply disappear while the effects of concentration have pushed for example Seagate and Matrox to get closer. Today, while storing data is more than ever an absolute necessity, acting historical with Iomega has become more difficult than before to impose their solutions. It must be said that the glorious era of ZIP drives are over and Iomega was bought by EMC, the optical revolution has heavily reduced the price of megabyte storage, and increasing the density of hard drives is gone with a pair of inexorable decline of their cost.

This state of affairs to introduce REV, the solution of Iomega's removable storage rather for advanced users and businesses. For where once proposed Iomega external storage solutions removable cartridge for the general public, even now offers Iomega external hard drives. Launched in the year 2004, REV technology evolves gradually and if Iomega proposed to launch a storage solution that can accommodate 35 GB of data per cartridge, there is now talk of 120 GB cartridges, cartridges whose access time and flow are advertised as close to a hard disk. Small overview of the latest development of technology Iomega REV.

At the heart of REV: DRP

In its previous incarnation of REV technology we proposed to store 70 GB of data on a cartridge. Iomega profits from the year 2008 to double that capacity, or nearly since its last REV drive can store up to 120 GB of data, uncompressed on a single cartridge. It is always within the REV technology DRP (or Removable Rigid Disk), which is in many ways similar to technology used in 2.5-inch hard drives. For all of REV trick is to use the technology of hard drives for performance aspect by making it extensible as optical media via removable cartridges.

To do this, the cartridge REV therefore magnetic trays on which are stored data but also the engine, while the read heads and electronics are located in the drive. This feature engine included in the cartridge is supposed to reduce the risk of contamination of trays. Indeed, on the old technology JAZ Iomega, the engine was in drive and cartridge therefore had a hole to cause the rotation of trays, hole through which could enter any kind of dust. Quite dense, REV cartridges are supposed to be watertight and resist shocks (up to 1.5 meters).

Alongside the choice of integrating the engine directly in the cartridges, the DRP technology relies on different areas of leakage within the device while a filtration system expels air at each insertion of a cartridge air cartridge before loading heads: filter cartridges inside then recover dust. And if that was not enough, the player operates a self-cleaning of its read heads on quite a regular basis. Also in order to ensure a flawless reliability of data, technology REV based on a circuit with two levels of error correction for a maximum integrity.

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The technical characteristics

In its 120 GB, technology REV is announced as compatible with the reading REV 70 GB disks can therefore write data to its former 70 GB cartridges, as it will be impossible to read or write to cartridges REV 35 GB drive with a REV 120. This is a first negative point for the least serious. More general characteristics later, Iomega Announces average access time of 12 ms for reading an average flow rate in writing 35 Mb / s. Compared with the first generation REV drive, the access time has not changed While the average from 25 Mb / s to 35 Mb / s, these values are heard as peaks. It should be noted that the speed disk REV 120 GB / s is set at 4000 rpm, against 4200 rpm for the old REV 70 GB disks.

In terms of longevity, the data provided by Iomega do not change because it is always about an average time of functioning inoperative front of 400 000 hours to drive while REV REV cartridges are guaranteed for five years. Moreover, according to manufacturer data, a REV cartridge has a storage period of thirty years. For the same technological choices mentioned in each cartridge contains more filters and that avoids any formation of mold inside the cartridge due to changes in the moisture.

Iomega REV-120 Serial ATA

Physically identical to previous REV drives, the Iomega REV 120 GB installs in a slot 3 ½ inches. If your case has more space such Iomega book an adapter to fit the player in a 5 ¼ bay. While previous REV readers were offered with an IDE interface, this model comes with a Serial ATA interface native. Note in passing that if Iomega does not offer his version of IDE REV 120 GB, the manufacturer declines still in external version with USB 2.0.

Iomega REV 120 GB - Serial-ATA

Aesthetically, the player retains the minimalist design of the first REV with a black facade reduced to its simplest expression, an eject button that turns blue when the drive is in operation and a hole for urgent ejecting .

Iomega REV 120: The software aspect

One of the specificities of REV is seeking its side supported by operating systems. If Windows XP and Windows Vista natively recognize a REV, no matter its interface, and it will be possible to read the data contained in the same way, it will however must install a driver for writing on the cartridges REV. Indeed, Iomega has chosen to retain the UDF file format for its cartridges REV. If the driver installation is not a problem either, we know however that the REV will be seen by some as a software optical media that the coup will prevent its use as a medium for mass storage. Moreover, the use of a third driver in some cases may pose conflicts between a driver Iomega shares and other drivers installed by some burning software.

In its internal version, the REV 120 GB comes with a cartridge, but also and especially with the software EMC Retrospect Express software developed by EMC, the parent of Iomega. With little friendly interface, EMX is a Retrospect Express backup software that allows you to save files, but also a complete system. Various options are proposed including a planning module backups, options for verifying the integrity of backups and the ability to save files, including when they are opened.

Conclusion

Always use a semi-professional or professional, REV continues to be a good alternative to optical storage solutions type Blu-ray or type solutions tape backup. If the capacity and performance are actually go for this 120 GB edition, we regret the choices technology Iomega that make old Cartridges REV are, at least in part, unusable with this new unit. While writing the performance REV 70 on the old 35 GB cartridges were indeed disastrous, Iomega had managed to preserve a certain level of compatibility with his former player. With the REV 120 GB will unfortunately only the minimum union: read-only cartridge REV 70 GB, and total incompatibility with the 35 GB REV A choice simply unacceptable to us.

The price of the REV, it remains particularly high, will pay an average of 450 euros for the player. If the acquisition cost of the unit is particularly high, the cost of cartridges is however much more interesting. It will indeed pay 80 euros for a blank cartridge 120 GB or 360 euros for 5 cartridges or in this case is a cost of 72 euros per cartridge on average. Back to gigabyte, it gives us a cost of 60 cents per gigabyte that we must compare the cost of an external hard drive. Take a 320-GB Western Digital and signed 150 euros sold here at the cost gigabyte is about 46 euro cents. But faced with a Blu-ray 25 GB, usually sold 20 euros, the REV remains competitive as the cost of a gigabyte Blu-ray is 80 euro cents.

In short, without being the least expensive, the REV remains a competitive backup solution, at least once a purchase drive off. Performance is indeed the appointment while the reliability does not appear to be a concern on this type of unit we use without significant problem for several years in versions it is true most modest of 35 and 70 Gb On Iomega castigate instead on the problems of compatibility and that the survival of a REV solution seems highly questionable Since in the next drive current cartridges will not even be legible!