On Sat, Jun 29, 2002 at 09:07:53PM -0700, robinsom wrote: > Michael C. Robinson > > 100 gigabyte hard disk is less than $200 while the last check on high capacity tape >drives turned up prices exceeding 4 times that for maybe a quarter the capacity >because advertised tape capacity is compressed capacity. Worse, tapes don't last, > they have a three year shelf life if they are stored properly and the tape doesn't >physically break when it winds around the spools...
HD don't last forever either :< I've had a good number go bad. > Is it possible to configure Amanda to backup to a harddisk or Raid volume instead of >a tape? What about CD-R, it's the cheapest media and it has a thirty year shelf life >where the only downsides are the capacity, the risk of disks getting scratched, > the fact that they are made using mercury, and the risk of them getting exposed to >UV light. Thats a lot of CD's to get 100 GB. > I'm asking about the issue because the recommended book to read on Amanda suggests >that Amanda > doesn't offer an alternative to tape backup. My last search on tape drives >suggested that a high capacity unit that can handle 40 gigs per tape is between $800 >and $1000. I could buy a lot of ATA hard drives for that kinda cash. Well, you're talking initial cost. I got a 6x24GB tape changer for $1100. The tapes are $10 each, so my 144GB is only $60 for the media. And I can extend those $60 increments as much as I want. A damaged tape can be replaced for $10. I can take copies off site. I can be reasonably confident that my backups can be read on any system with the same format tape drive. If I am keeping multiple days (3 wks worth in my case) on my media, a damaged tape causes the loss of one days backup. If they were all on the same disk I'd lose everything. Pros and cons abound. Use what suits you. Yes, current amanda versions do support backup to disk. They are considered "beta" version, but like most amanda beta's, they are quite solid. -- Jon H. LaBadie [EMAIL PROTECTED] JG Computing 4455 Province Line Road (609) 252-0159 Princeton, NJ 08540-4322 (609) 683-7220 (fax)
