Linux Backups: Tape Drives

Dustin Decker dustin.decker at 1on1security.com
Sat Nov 20 15:37:11 CST 2004


> -----Original Message-----
> From: kclug-bounces at kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces at kclug.org] On Behalf
> Of Dave Hull
> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 2:46 PM
> To: kclug at kclug.org
> Subject: Linux Backups: Tape Drives
> 
> Tell me a story about tape drives.
> 
> I'm looking for any recommendations/horror stories about tape libraries
> and
> Linux.

I can share a few horror stories - but am pressed to get ready for a date
right now so I'll be brief.

I had a client some 7 years ago that had SCSI controller X, it shot craps,
and data couldn't be recovered from drives because the firmware on the RAID
controller was likewise not available, used a "funky" algorithm, etc.
(Novell was part of that problem IIRC.)

I personally lost a whole day of data at my previous gig about 4 years
ago.... DPT SCSI RAID, also no longer made, yadda yadda yadda... in the long
run there, I learned to use SCSI RAID controllers which keep a copy of the
ARRAY information on _each_ of the drives _in_ the array, vice on the card
itself.  (I also learned to buy RAID controllers in pairs - it's right there
in the name, Redundant - and mothball one for spare if required.)

I realize you were asking about tape - but this is almost always attached to
SCSI so I threw you my two bits.

D.




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