Quoting Mike Dresser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > On Sun, 29 Feb 2004, Phillip Hofmeister wrote: > > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > All, > > > > I am looking to install a Seagate Travan 10GB/20GB IDE Tape drive into a > > Debian box. > > Your basic method listed in the rest of the email is the way to do it. > > Keep in mind this tape drive will self destruct in about a year or two of > use. Sometimes silently. > > At least you're using a Seagate and not an HP, which will last 6-12 months > if you're lucky. > > As for other IDE drives, I don't know of any offhand that are worth the > time. > > SCSI DDS-3/4 tape drives are relatively cheap, especially when you > consider media costs. You can get a SCSI controller for 75 dollars or so. > > Mike > >
I have been running daily or every other day backups on a Seagate STT20000A for 4 years. I recently had what I thought was a drive failure. It was 2 tapes failing at once as required by Murphy's Law. Probably none of the original tapes remain. Somewhere I saw quoted that the expected lifetime of these tapes is 20 read/write cycles. I am running them long beyond that. It is probably reasonable to figure on replacing 3-5 tapes per year. Note: 3 tapes == $100-$120. Tape drive $200-$290. Alternatives are going to cost more up front. Hopefully, cheaper media and longer life will more than make up for it. Jeffrey -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
