On Monday May 03 2004 09:45 am, Jonathan Dill wrote:
> Jon LaBadie wrote:
> >One of the concerns I have about disk-only based backup schemes is the
> >total loss of data.  If you encounter a 2-disk failure you lose not only
> >your most recent, but all your backups.  If a tape drive fails the data
> >can be read on another drive.  If a single tape goes bad, that is the
> >only set of backups lost.
>
> If you're using multiple removable hard drives as tapes, I think that
> would mitigate the risk somewhat vs. disks that are "online" all the
> time, although spin-up seems to be THE most crucial moment in the life
> of any disk drive.  I think disks still aren't as reliable as tapes in
> terms of failure rates, but would expect a removable hard drive solution
> to fall somewhere between full-time disk drives and tapes.

I've been considering a backup to drive with daily copies made to tapes.  I 
already use BackuoExec to backuop my Windoze boxes to a Samba share and then 
use Amanda to back those files up to tape.  That works well so I don't see 
how a hybrid setup would be less robust than tapes alone.  It means a lt lot 
of disk space -- in my case about  300 - 400 GB for a weeks worth -- but 
drives are getting real cheap.

-- 
Stephen Carville http://www.heronforge.net/~stephen/gnupgkey.txt
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Right wing socialists hate privacy as much as left wing socialists hate guns.