On Sat February 17 2007 17:25, Randall R Schulz wrote: > Dennis, > > On Saturday 17 February 2007 13:46, Dennis J. Tuchler wrote: > > I have seen advice on listservs not to back up to a CD ROM. I never > > understood why. Why is it a bad idea to use CDROMS as storage media? > > For me, at least, CDs per se are too small. DVDs can constitue a > manageable solution for backing up select portions of one's data (but > still not for most whole-system backups). With multisession writing and > rewritable media, you have acceptable _backup_ media, but not a very > good archive solution. > > I'm kind of hoping that one of the new DVD formats (HDDVD or Blu-ray) > will prove useful for backup and, perhaps, archiving purposes, but it > remains to be seen if it will become economical (cost of drives and > media) and what sort of longevity and reliability characteristics those > media formats will exhibit. > > > Separately, does anyone know of Linux software (perhaps a FUSE file > system) that exploits optical drive packet writing? I've seen such > things for Windows (simulating an everyday read/write, random-access > magnetic drive using an optical recorder), though I was always sorry > when I tried them because they seemed to make my system unstable > (though that was probably just bad driver coding). > > > Dennis J. Tuchler > > Randall Schulz We use DVD-RAM drives and media. The media is pricey compared to dvd -r and -rw, but it is much more reliable. Double sided (not double layer) media in a cardridge costs about $7.50 each. There is also now media that does not require the cartridge, but for backup purposes, the cartridge protects the media. The life is much longer. Google it. The problem is, so far, I have not found a Linux program to "format" or "write the filesystem" to the media. I have to use a windows computer to format the media, then use it. I format using the FAT32 filesyste, but UDF 1.5 and 2.0 are available.
In case you are not aware, DVD-RAM reads and writes just like a hard drive. No sequential writes, no ISO files. You can set up directories just like a HD, but, according to a Panasonic engineer, you cannot set up partitions. Regarding cost of media/drives, I think we are spoiled. Today, drives and media are dirt cheap, compared to yesteryear. Re: archive, I agree with your comment re: dvd-r. Archiving should always be done on a non-rewritable media. Actually I bo both, backing up my DVD-RAM media with DVD-R. Years from now, DVD-R drives and formats will still be arround, but DVD-RAM is not very popular, so it might not survive the test of time. I have some backed up data on 5 1/4" floppies, 8" floppies, Zip disks, SparQ cartridges, Colorado Optics tape, and Bernouli cartridges. I abandoned my Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I cassette tapes on December 31, 2004 (yeah right!). -- John R. Sowden AMERICAN SENTRY SYSTEMS, INC. Residential & Commercial Alarm Service UL Listed Central Station Serving the San Francisco Bay Area Since 1967 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.americansentry.net -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
