Veritas-bu

[Veritas-bu] Testing Media

2003-03-05 11:21:02
Subject: [Veritas-bu] Testing Media
From: david AT datastaff DOT com (David A. Chapa)
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 11:21:02 -0500
<This may only work in a perfect world...but perhaps it will give us something 
to consider moving forward.>

For 50 tapes, this really becomes a business issue more than it does a 
technical issue.  Let me explain what I mean and then I will give you options 
technically.  

Taking it from that perspective I would want to look at the cost/benefit of 
$5,000 ($100/tape) for the tapes in question versus the recoverability of my 
data to be stored on those tapes.  Next, what cost can you assigned for the  
resource that will have to "test" these 50 tapes + their original cost - a $$ 
amount use factor [Example (($40/hr * 24 hrs) + $5000 - $1250)=$4,710.  If it 
is at or near the cost of the tapes, wouldn't it just be easier and more cost 
effective to simply replace them?  Remember even if we DO test these tapes we 
may find that we do have some that are in NEED of being replaced anyway.

Its nice to take this position as it clearly puts the onus on the Business 
Units versus the technical staff because if they so direct us to do the testing 
route at least we have done our part to show them the costs/benefit of such a 
task.  I'll say this again, this of course is in a perfect world.  The business 
typically drives our technology decisions (what options we buy, etc.) and the 
only way they are able to make those decisions (to pay for the technology) is 
to have well informed business unit managers/directors/VPs.

That being said, for my money I would consider the $5000 investment in those 
tape to be throw away based on the overall importance of the data that is to be 
stored.

Now...here's the technical answer.  

What you really need to do is re-certify that these tapes will perform as you 
anticipate.  You can do this a couple of ways.

As you already mentioned,
1.  Write to EOF on the tape test that you can randomly recover the data from 
the tape.  Or use bpverify to verify the tape contents with what has been 
recorded in the catalog.  Both processes quite lengthy.

or the second option and I think for those who have a lot of tapes that they 
are concerned about.

2.  Contact Media Recovery, my contact is Brad Schawel (847-680-3505, 
bks AT mediarecovery DOT com).  They specialize in re-certifying media and I 
believe 
in some cases without destroying the active data on the tape.  They have a 
proven methodology to certify the media and give you a greater piece of mind.

We (Dave Little, VERITAS and I) actually cover some of these business issues in 
a new VERITAS Solutions Series Book called "Implementing Backup and Recovery: 
The Readiness Guide for the Enterprise".  

I'm finding with tighter budgets taking positions this takes a lot of burden of 
of us.

David



Quoting Paul Boatman <boatm005 AT admin.ndis.umn DOT edu>:

> I would like to know this as well. I will be testing header overwrites.
> 
> - paul
> 
> >>> "Major, Rusty" <jrmajor AT TexasChildrensHospital DOT org> 02/27/03
> 03:21PM >>>
> What do you guys recommend to test media to verify it is ok? I have
> over 50 tapes that have accumulated over time and our night crew have
> not labelled the reason for removing all of them. Should I just write to
> the tape until it's full, is that a valid test? Is there some other way
> that is faster or better?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Rusty Major, MCSA, MCSE
> Information Services
> Texas Children's Hospital
> (832) 824-4125
> 
> 
> 
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