A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

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Adriano Castaldini

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A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostTue Apr 30, 2024 6:56 pm

Hi everybody, I have a small amount of files - about 80/100TB - I would preserve "forever".
Someone says "go for LTO-8", that means a bit investment (for my budget) for a tape-dock.
I'm new to this technology, so two questions:
1. Is there some reliable dock that is also not-so-costly?
2. Considering that 80/100TB is about 8 tapes, do you think it worth the investment? Or do you recommend other durable options?

Thanks in advance.
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VMFXBV

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostTue Apr 30, 2024 7:47 pm

Most LTO stuff is very reliable. It has error correction and etc. We use LTO6 half height and a HBA adapter and it was ok so far using LTFS on Windows. However support has been recently dropped and its MAC or Linux only going forward.

Most if not all tape drives are made by IBM so it doesn't really matter where you get it from.

Now, is it worth it or not? Depends. I think there are posts on the internet on the cutoff number of TB where its worth it. Not sure on 80-100TB though. LTO8 drives are pretty expensive. Media is cheap though, compared to HDD and much much much more durable. As long as you store it in a proper environment. Dust free, moisture free. Etc.
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Adriano Castaldini

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostTue Apr 30, 2024 8:08 pm

VMFXBV wrote:As long as you store it in a proper environment. Dust free, moisture free. Etc.
(Thanks for Your reply.) So, do You recommend something like an electronic dry box?
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Uli Plank

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostWed May 01, 2024 11:56 am

Depends on where you live. I have a dry cabinet for my lenses and cameras here and would definitely use it for LTO too.
For the amount of data you have, good quality spinners and a fast connector box might be cheaper. For either technology, you’d need two for each set of data in separate places. Think fire, thieves, earthquakes or volcanoes. Where we live, rather the latter two :-)
Spinners should be spun up at least every 3-4 months and copied every 3-5 years. LTOs need less service.
My disaster protection: export a .drp file to a physically separated storage regularly.

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Lucius Snow

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostThu May 02, 2024 8:51 am

Temp should be between 17 and 25°C and humidity between 20 and 50%. No dust, no light rays.
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Uli Plank

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostThu May 02, 2024 9:21 am

No strong magnetic fields.
My disaster protection: export a .drp file to a physically separated storage regularly.

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Lucius Snow

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Re: A reliable but not-costly LTO-tape-dock? For few tapes?

PostThu May 02, 2024 9:33 am

Exactly.

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