I know the way things get lost around here (usually a process of the third
person to get the job isn't fully briefed by the second person who is now
moving to other responsibilities). I'd rather keep the data in my library.
I've got 6 LTO tapes in varying stages of filling on-site and 4 off-site.
Total data is about 900 GB. Since my library holds 660 tapes and we only own
380 right now I've no local storage problem. My off-site is the corporate
hanger at the airport, and it's near-infinitely expandable (we used to have
over 400 DLT tapes off-site, now we have 90+ LTO tapes off-site) . . .

But the non-portability is a real killer as well.

There's always my old standby - get the app developer to build unloads that
generate ASCII comma or colon delimited data and burn the result to CD.

Having been here when we moved from Burroughs B3700 to Honeywell DPS-8 to
IBM 4300 to IBM SP frame, and Forte-II to DM-IV to IMS to Oracle, it's the
ONLY way I'll guarantee the data can be accessed in seven years, no matter
what we created it with. We've still got historical data on 3480 cart in the
form of FDR/ABR backups of IMS databases on 3380 disk drives. If someone
really wants the data bad enough, I forced the issue enough that we also
have the source code to the programs on the same tapes . . . but I won't be
any part of the project to recover the data!

Tom Kauffman
NIBCO, Inc

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Haskins, Mike [mailto:mhaskins AT AGWAY DOT COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 3:06 PM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: Backup Sets for Long Term Storage
>
>
> Tom, your last comment is actually the reason I was considering backup
> sets as a top contender for long term storage.  Generate a backup set,
> the owner signs for the tapes, and they're gone -- reserving library
> space and volume ranges for data that is actively used or
> needed for DR.
>
> The inability to move a backup set to a new generation of
> media, as Bill
> noted, is something I hadn't considered!
>
> Mike Haskins
> Agway, Inc
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kauffman, Tom [mailto:KauffmanT AT NIBCO DOT COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 1:20 PM
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: Backup Sets for Long Term Storage
>
>
> Mike, if I were going to do this I'd use DLT based upon the
> manufacturer's
> propa\\\\\ documentation.
>
> OTOH, here's what I've done:
>
> 1) set up archive copygroups with retentions of 1 year through 7 years
> (seven groups) all pointed to the same storage pool chain (disk and
> tape).
> 2) treat the storage just like everything else -- one copy
> on-site, and
> a
> copy pool for off-site.
>
> I run reclaims as required and otherwise exercise the LTO
> media once or
> twice a month.
>
> If I were to do the backup set process, I'd make bloody sure that the
> owner
> of the data had the tapes AND HAD SIGNED FOR THEM so if they
> got lost or
> damaged I wouldn't be in the loop.
>
> Tom Kauffman
> NIBCO, Inc
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Haskins, Mike [mailto:mhaskins AT AGWAY DOT COM]
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 7:10 PM
> > To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> > Subject: Backup Sets for Long Term Storage
> >
> >
> > Our TSM server has a 3494 library with 3590 tape drives.  Now
> > faced with
> > meeting long term storage requirements (7+ years), I am looking at
> > generating backup sets to accomplish this.  Since backup sets can be
> > used for stand-alone restores from a backup-archive client, I am
> > thinking that a different media type would be better than
> > 3590.  There's
> > not much chance that many of my nodes could have access to a
> > 3590 drive.
> > DLT or 8mm seem more appropriate.  Any experiences or
> > opinions would be
> > appreciated.
> >
>