[NTLUG:Discuss] backup options?

[Steve Baker]

Jonathan Miller wrote:

> Maybe I have a strong magnetic field but tapes degrade on me so fast
> by the time I actually have to use them they are shot. That's never good.

Three things I learned years ago about care of tapes (which may or may
not still be applicable with modern tapes) are:

 * Always let the tape acclimate to the temperature inside the
   computer case before reading or writing it.  Put the tape in
   the drive five minutes before you need it if at all possible.

 * When the tape drive has to do lots of starts and stops while
   reading or writing the tape, it doesn't spool up evenly.
   It helps to wind the tape all the way to the end and back
   again in one uninterrupted operation to get them to spool
   neatly.

 * Tapes need to be wound all the way from beginning to end and
   back to the beginning again at least once every six months
   to prevent 'print through'.

Those three measures greatly extended the life of the 1, 2 and 4Gb
4mm DAT and 8mm tapes that were around 4 or 5 years ago.

Technology may have moved on however.

-- 
Steve Baker                  http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
sjbaker1 at airmail.net (home)  http://www.woodsoup.org/~sbaker
sjbaker at hti.com      (work)