Linux Backups: Tape Drives

[Monty J. Harder]

Jonathan Hutchins <hutchins at tarcanfel.org> wrote

> > > 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.)
> 
> >   This is one of two reasons I recommend disabling any hardware
> > compression, and using software compression instead.
> 

> Note that Dustin's account has nothing to do with hardware compression - which

  Then what "'funky' algorithm" could he be talking about?  I'm not
aware of an 'algorithm" for accessing SCSI devices.  Sure, you need a
driver that knows how to talk to the host adapter, but

> is reasonably consistent among different manufacturers of compatible tape
> drives.  If the tape will mount on the drive, chances are the drive will read
> it, compression and all.

  When your business data are at stake, you don't want to take chances.

> Software compression on the other hand, particularly if performed by a
> propietary program (say that three times fast), can be a guarantee of loss of

  I was thinking of standard Unix compress, pkzip, gzip, which are
non-proprietary.  Any proprietary compression scheme, whether hardware
or software, is not worth the risks - the whole point of backup is to
be able to recover data after some kind of loss.