Re: For the hardware guys...

[Bruce Smith <bruce@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> >> $500-600 bucks for a new drive is way too expensive for me.
>
> >Then get an older DDS-1 or DDS-2 drive instead of the DDS-3.
> >The drives are more reasonably priced and the tapes are still cheap.
> >Besides, it's a much better drive IMO.

One other thing, most DDS drives also do HARDWARE COMPRESSION.
(all except the really old DDS-1 drives, AFAIK)

That way you don't have to pipe your backups through gzip, slowing
down your backup and using the CPU of the PC.  It also makes the
backup more reliable because one single bad spot on a gzip'ed tape
will trash the remainder of the tape.  Otherwise you stand a much
better change of recovering the files after the bad spot.

Not that I've seen many bad DDS tapes, that's also rare with DDS.
I've heard of it happening more on TR-4 drives.

Again:  IMNAHE.  :-)

--------------------------------------------
Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
System Administrator / Network Administrator
Armstrong International, Inc.
Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
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