Comparison. DVD is REALLY fast to restore from, and it also allows Random Access, which tape doesn't. DVD is too small for most purposes, and since you've outgrown a 4 Gig tape, I suspect you've outgrown DVD before you start.
Tape is getting expensive. Tape is less portable than DVD. (IE, DVD is more or less interchangeable) Tapes are very 'type' specific. 8 mm, 4mm, ultrium, DLT (shudder), or whatever. Personally, I use an OLD 4/7 myself, so I can't say too much. I can't afford more, and the Divx/MP3 collection can be remade from the originals (and remade to OGG if I was to do it over...) so backing it up doesn't matter. Professionally, I use a Mammoth2 (60/150Gig/tape) to back everything up. I write the data to tape with TAR, and extract it the same way. It's a pain in the rectal orifice, but it just works. The tape cartridges include head cleaners in the leader, so I don't need to worry about end users forgetting to clean the drive. Drive speed is excellent, and the cartridges can take an absolute beating and still work perfectly (as opposed to DLT (not that I'm bitter)). I would redo the purchase in a second, and in fact, it is well on it's way to being recommended for another install or two. The Mammoth2 also (obviously) has a smaller brother, the Mammoth. This is a fast and good tape drive as well, but it is quite a bit smaller, (20/40, I believe). It's also about half the price, and cartridges are less expensive as well, though you will need cleaning cassettes. I prefer the Mammoths because they do not use pinch rollers and capstans, meaning tapes don't get crumpled, and destroyed. Further, as indicated above, the tapes can literally be dropped down a flight of stairs, and they'll work fine. The cartridges are smaller, and lighter, and therefore more immune to impact damage, though if you want to wreak one, you obviously can... The Mammoth 2 is certified for use on Linux, Netware, or Legacy Windows boxes. I've found them to simply be bulletproof, and obviously I can't recommend them enough. You may want to ignore my suggestion of TAR though. One thing I will also note, when you write to a tape, don't zip it. Software compression will not be the hardware compression, don't even try. In addition to giving you more backup space on a tape, this will also allow your backups to complete with less strain on the processing power of the server. Ditto for restores that happen during the day while people are working... If you use TAR, you can backup across the network via Samba to your Windows boxes, however, I've noticed that Samba will not allow files larger than 2 gigs to be copied (the process goes off into never-never land, and doesn't return) from the Linux box. If the Legacy Windows machines are responsible for the copy, it will complete with no problem. I suppose that makes Samba 9x compliant, since I think 9x (Fat 32 actually) was limited to a 2 Gig Max file size. That's my 2 cents. (or buck fifty. I'm a long winded emailer.) Kev. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Bruseker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 10:14 AM Subject: (clug-talk) Looking for backup hardware/software suggestions > I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on good backup hardware/software > solutions. I'm looking to replace a 4/8 GB tape drive on a Linux server. > Currently I use that drive with the hostdump.sh script (forget where I got > it, but I'm sure I'm not the only one familiar with it). > > I want to replace it with something that a) works (the drive is a bit old > and just not really working right anymore) and b) can back up multiple > machines/platforms. I have some legacy Windows boxes that have important > stuff on them too, and I want to pull in data from them to the Linux box and > dump it all from there to a backup. > > For software, I have done some looking at Amanda and BRU. I also checked > out Veritas (because it was bundled with one of the drives I looked at), but > it seems to be Windows-only from what I could tell, and that is not the > right solution. Thing is, I've never used either Amanda or BRU (and BRU's > Windows 2000/XP client is in beta, according to their web site, which > normally wouldn't bother me, but when backing up important data, it _has_ to > work). Anyone have any experience? > > For hardware, like I said, it's currently a tape drive, and replacing it > with another tape drive isn't a problem, though they are getting harder to > find. I had one person suggest I look at DVD instead of tape, which isn't a > bad idea, but I don't know how Amanda or BRU would play with that (also I > think his real motivation was that he had DVD to sell and no tape, and > really didn't understand that tape isn't nearly as dead in the corporate > world as his little retail brain thinks it is - his employer shall remain > nameless other than to say it was not Staples, just so no one thinks I'm > slamming Cameron. ;-) ). Does anyone have experience using DVD as a > backup medium? Or maybe a store that has experience and knowledge in > corporate backup solutions, and who understand the people really do still > use tape drives? > > Thanks in advance for any suggestions. > > Ian > > >
