RE: [OT] large tape backup

["Nigel Giddings" <nigel.giddings@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark,

I don't want to tread on anyone's toes but second dibs on a Compaq DLT
20/40Gb Wide SCSI would find a good home with me.

There would be a beer in it for you as well at the UKHA 2004-03-19

Nigel

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hallows [mailto:markhallows@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 19 March 2004 12:51
To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] [OT] large tape backup





>
>But I need replaceable backup rather than HDD as I'd end up with huge
>stacks of HDD's! ?

an Average project + 80GB's ?
An ATAbaby = 1.2TB and = 1U

reply;
I have 2 safes full of AIT2 and AIT3 archive tapes and 5 ATAbabies (5U)
or 1
x ATABoy2 (3U) could have done away with them all..mmmm

eh?

/confused/.....

with tape, you'll end up with huge stacks of tapes.... - a DLT Tape is a

similar dimension to a 3.5" HDD...

With tape, you can't just mount the thing and browse through it to see
what's on it.. (you will of course be completely fastidious about
writing
the index card in the tape cartridge box won't you!)

With tape you have a lengthy restore process to get the data back onto
another machine before you can use it.

With tape you have to have additional spare disk space available on a
machine somewhere to be able to restore it.

Tape drives are dearer (new DLT drive?, that will be 3.5 thousand of
your
english pounds, sir...) DLT tapes seem to be about ?70 each... - i.e.
significantly dearer than a 120GB disk....

Tape drives are (IMHO) less reliable than disk drives, - they are highly

mechanical with pulleys, arms, rubber belts, cogs and so on... heads
need
regular cleaning, backups have to be verified before you can trust them
(thus doubling backup time). OK, you can argue the same for disk drives,
but

I would assert that these devices are in different leagues as far as
mechanics are concerned...

Tape storage is *not* indefinate... Tape stock degrades with both use
and
the passage of time. Tapes may not be readable a few years after you've
written them...

Tape technology is constantly changing and being upgraded.... - you just

*try* to buy an original first generation DLT Tape nowadays (a 15/30) -
I
looked for a year for a source of 15/30GB DLT tapes a while back with no

success... in the end I swapped the drive for some DLT IV tapes, since I
had

('have' actually, but more of that later*) a couple of newer 20/40GB DLT

drives that I inherited...

* - If you _really_ want to go with tape, then you are more than welcome
to
all of my tape hardware and media FOC... I have:

2 x DLT IV 20/40GB Compaq drives, one of which has some cosmetic damage
to
the plastic bezel at the front. I have about 4 or 5 DLT IV tapes to go
with
them...

A selection of DAT hardware (Can't actually remember what...) - I have
about

3 or 4 DAT Drives, with a mixture of DDS1 and DDS2 standards, and
several
boxes of DAT tapes to go with each.. (some tapes are unopened). Some of
these drives are in external enclosures, some are bare drives that fit a

5.25" drive bay...

*ALL* the above are SCSI devices, - the DAT's are original (i.e.
"narrow")
and the DLT's are "wide" SCSI. I also have a selection of both
internal
and
external SCSI cables, and terminators etc.

If you want any of this stuff, I could bring it along to UKHA2004 if you

want, - or you're welcome to pop over to my place & collect.....

Any use?

Paul G.

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