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... Clean the tape drive at least once per week. ... They also stretch over time so if you replace your tape drive after three years and you never replaced your tapes; then you might have a problem. ... First, having more than one tape is a good thing but you will need more than the standard four or five.

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... Each tape drive range has a specified duty cycle, which is the maximum percentage of time that the drive should be operational. ... By following these simple tips, your tape backups should run reliably, and you'll avoid the costly exercise of replacing your tape drive.

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...

Alternatives to Tape Backup by Linus Chang
You may ask, isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, random-access storage media? In many ways it is, but because of the nature of backup it doesn't really matter that tape is slow and sequential-access. ... * Backup to REV drive may in fact prove more cost-effective for your business than tape, depending on your backup scheme and other factors. ... Key features are: * Backup to REV drive is much faster than tape backup. ... Backup to REV drive In April 2004, Iomega released the REV drive -- a new storage device that has...

Are Hard Drives Better for Backups than CD/DVDs or Tapes? by Buddy Shearer
Are hard drives better for backups than CD/DVDs or Tapes? Tapes have issues and so do CD/DVDs. Well, on thing is for sure. These are better than nothing. In fact, a thumb drive or USB drive is better than nothing but weigh all of the facts before you come to any conclusion. ... In fact, tape drives wear out faster than hard drives plus they get filthy. ... I mentioned a thumb drive as being better than nothing and while that is true they have their own major issue. ... Just make sure the drive is of a new model.

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. ... For the home computer user there are lots of different backup options that are far superior to tape drives - not that any home user is still using a tape drive to backup information to surely? ... While there were some old computers that used small tape drives to get programs or games into the computer,...

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. ... The tape drives need clean environment because when a tape is installed to a tape drive, the clearance between the heads and the tape is measured in microns thus the particles can damage the tape or the head if they come in contact with either.

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? ... If you choose wisely, you should end up with a tape drive that fulfils your organization's tape backup and archiving needs, without blowing the budget. ... The drive will only have an average of 370,000 hours between failures if it is run less than 20% of the time (about 4.8 hours per day), and...

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...