An auto-changer (or just "changer") is a storage device that automatically swaps tapes. A changer can handle anywhere from four to over one hundred tapes. A changer can also have more than one drive built into it.
ARCserveIT is designed to support a tape library including a single changer with one device drive operating with 20 slots or less. In order to utilize a changer (with 21 slots or more, and/or multiple drives) you must purchase a separate Tape Library option.
The advantages of a changer become obvious when you consider how they can automate your jobs.
For example, let's say that you are responsible for backing up a network that consists of 20 UNIX workstations. You've set up an ARCserveIT GFS Rotation job which completely automates selecting your source, selecting your destination, and running the job at the same time each day. In addition, you've set up a tape rotation scheme that requires only six tapes.
Everything runs without intervention from you except swapping tapes. You have to remember to insert the correct tape in your tape drive each day. With a changer, as long as your changer handles enough tapes, you can load all your tapes at once and then not worry about them for up to a year, depending on how you've configured ARCserveIT's GFS Rotation.
Some of the advantages of using a changer with ARCserveIT are: