> We're considering switching from our old ADIC Scalar
> 1000 (with LTO1 drives) to an HP MSL8096 (4 drives). 
> The logical step will be to go the LTO3 route so we
> can read our old media but ... considering we do backups
> 99.5% of the time and restores 0.5% of the time...I'm
> considering getting three LTO4 drives and the fourth
> one: an LTO3 drive (just for backward readability).
> 
> On Netbackup... Is it just a matter of labeling the
> drives and corresponding media with the same HCART#
> so they don't get mixed up?

Yes, if you're going to mix them.  LTO4s are automatically detected
as hcart and so are LTO1s.  So when you add the LTO4 drives, change
them to anything else--LTO2... 8MM, whatever, and set up barcode
rules so that all the LTO4 tapes you'll ever add get the same type.

Later responses showed that you didn't relish keeping the old
library forever.  Maybe it's time for a real technology refresh.
Have you looked at your data to see if it's feasible to keep your
old library long enough to duplicate your long-term retention data
to LTO4 and then get rid of the LTO1s when you've duped everything
that hasn't already expired?  Much cleaner way out, and you can then
toss the old tapes and eliminate the storage costs.  You could also
do this with your other approach--one LTO1 in the new library--until
done, then put the fourth LTO4 back in.

This may well reopen up another favorite topic:  retention and the
costs/logic/risks in keeping and trusting the usefullness and
recoverability of old data.


_______________________________________________
Veritas-bu maillist  -  Veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu