[Nottingham] Re: About tape backups...

[Robert Postill]

On Sun, 2004-09-05 at 09:55, Dalkus wrote:
> > Hmm not sure really; depends how much you need to back up!
> 
> Tiny ammounts each day. (im talking 10mb at the MOST) but i
> need something reliable and at least semi-long lasting since
> i intend to be backing up client data. CD-R's had crossed my
> mind but they arnt too reliable for important backups i heard...
Well, just to weigh in here I'd make the following points:
1) It's a number of small files each day isn't it (I'd guess that more
than one file changes per day)? In which case DAT and DLT will suck
performance wise and you'll get fragmentation on your tape.  Also have
you factored in the cost of a SCSI card?  A decent one should cost about
£100.
2) How long do you wish to keep the data?  Some auditing firms use WORM
drives because tapes suffer as most magnetic media does.  Especially DAT
which tends to have a window in the front to let sunlight spoil the
tape.  You'll need LTO or similar and a good place to keep them (read
air-conditioned and possibly de-humidified).
3) CDs or tapes are like any other media, there are crud brands and good
brands, seek out the good brands I've spoken to admins before who've
spent literally millions on their DR plan to skimp on the media and then
land in the crap.
4) Make more than one backup, make as many as you can afford, preferably
with different drives.  Then test them in other peoples machines.  If
you could afford LTO tapes who would take them to in a disaster, how
would you *quickly* get hold of a new drive unit?  Tapes are doorstops
if you have to wait eight weeks to get a drive shipped to you.
5) I have a bit of a downer on USB HDs.  They're a technology that lends
itself to only one copy and that can't be good, all your eggs are in one
basket.

If it's for you alone or a small company just don't do the tape thing. 
Get quality CDR (I never trust CDRW but that's my paranoia really as
opposed to hard fact) media and find somewhere safe to put it (i.e. a
long way from your machine).Then make and test your copies regularly.

Hope that helps.
Robert.
-- 
Robert Postill
robert at grinning-cat.com
Tel:07968 801326
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