Four Basic Backup Steps by Buddy Shearer
"I have this cool backup tape drive in my new computer and a couple of tapes so I am all set!" That is true, you now have a level of protection that a lot of people do not have but are you going to do it right? Change the tapes regularly, replace them when their life runs out, clean the tape... After all, it is your data on the tape so keep it safe. ... It never fails, when you absolutely need a backup to be made then that is when it will fail because of a dirty head. ... Clean the tape drive at least once per week.

Setting up a Tape Backup Strategy for your Business by Linus Chang
So you know a little bit about tape backup, but you're wondering how to set up a tape backup strategy for your business. Well, let's take a look at 3 simple steps to setting up a complete backup solution. Step 1: Purchase your tape backup hardware Firstly, purchase the tape backup hardware. ... If you need to perform file server backup (or Exchange Server backup or SQL Server backup) for small business, then one of the following tape drives should suffice: * Travan cartridge drive (up to 10 Gb) * DDS tape backup drive (up to 20 Gb) * DDS tape backup drive with hardware data compression...

Can You Restore Data from Your Backup? by Per Strandberg
Many users don't test their backups. This is because they don't take the time or they don't know the steps to take. This means that there is a risk that the restoration of their system will not work nor can they be sure that they are able to retrieve individual files. ... If you use a tape backup as your backup media then there are several things you can do to reduce these risks and make the backup safe. ... If the backup is taken from a server, then the backup administrator should get an email backup error report.

An Introduction to Tape Backup by Linus Chang
If you run a small business, chances are you're saving important files to a server. But what happens when disaster strikes? How are you ensuring that your files won't be lost? Many people fail to realize that the loss of files could cripple their business. ... * Full -- all files, system data * Differential -- all files added or changed since the last full backup * Incremental -- all files added or changed since the last full, differential or incremental backup * Daily -- all files added or changed on the day of the backup A Full backup will copy all files and system data to the...

Preventing Tape Drive Failure by Linus Chang
Contrary to popular belief, tape drives are generally robust and reliable. However, there are three common mistakes that people make that dramatically increase the probability of tape drive failure. Firstly, it is not well known that tape drives is differ considerably in terms of how long they... Secondly, it is not well known that data must be supplied to tape drives at a sufficient rate in order to keep them streaming, or else the tape suffers from start-stop motion. ... It's easy to imagine the wear-and-tear this places on the tape, and how the integrity of the data stored on the tape...

Tape Data Recovery Software by Nehaa Gupta
Tape drives are installed in the cleanest environment and require high quality, cleaning on a regular basis, and proper handling of the tape media. Improper or poor usage, handling, and storing of tape drives lead to tape drive corruptions or damages. ... Tape media can get damage or corrupt due to mishandling, improper usage, damaged tape headers, erased tape drives, broken or de-spooled backup tapes, failed backup systems and tape libraries, unexpected system shutdowns or system failures. ... The tape drives need clean environment because when a tape is installed to a tape drive, the...

Still Backing Up Your Data To A Tape Drive? by Niall Roche
When it was determined that computers needed a good place to store the information they created, the tape drive was invented. This is a very old piece of computer technology, and as a result, you can imagine that it is not usually used for any but the most necessary of applications. ... Tape is a very fragile material and one of the main problems that tape drives have is the tape itself getting snagged, bent or even broken at any point on the tape itself. ... For the home computer user there are lots of different backup options that are far superior to tape drives - not that any home user...

Creating a Backup Plan by Stephen Bucaro
Your company's data may be its most important asset. Imagine a large corporation with millions of dollars of account receivable and account payable data stored on their network. A fire causes massive data loss. How much work would be required to re-create the lost data? ... If during the day your company creates a large volume of data, or a small amount of data that is too critical to wait for the standard night time backup, you can perform a copy backup. ... Instead, you would perform a full backup only on Friday nights, and perform a "differential" backup on other weekday night.

Choosing a Tape Drive by Linus Chang
Tape drives remain the leading technology used by organizations for backup and archiving. However, the plethora of tape drives on the market can make choosing the appropriate tape drive a confusing task. How do you select a tape drive that satisfies your needs without blowing the budget? ... Tape drives are able to compress data so that more data may fit on the tape, which is why manufacturers specify both a native capacity and a compressed capacity, usually with a compression ratio at 2:1. ... A little known fact about tape drives is that data must be supplied to them at a sufficient rate...

Network Certification Exam Tutorial: An Introduction To Backup Types by Chris Bryant
Fault tolerance isn't fault invulnerability. No matter how hard we work to avoid single points of failure, sooner or later something catastrophic will happen to a part of our network. Don't get me wrong, I'm no pessimist - quite the opposite! But part of being a world-class network manager is... It doesn't do you any good to implement a data backup strategy after data is lost! ... The type of backups your network will run really depends on three factors: the amount of data to be backed up the capacity of the backup media the time available for the backup If you can run full backups...