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Re: POLL: tape backup format and software



Douglas A. Tutty wrote:
Could those of you who use tape (DDS, DLT, Ultrium) for backup or
archive tell me what format and software you have found most helpful?

I only have a couple of boxes to backup.  Right now, they each run their
own script and create a tarball that then the main box rsyncs to its
raid1 array (and the main box rsyncs its most important data (small set)
to the other boxes.

I'm going to be transitioning to tape for long-term archiving.  I could
just pass the existing tarballs out to tapes and keep a manual log of
what is where.  I could use a different format.  I could use some other
software.

Re format:  since some things (e.g. CD.iso's to protect existing CDs
from scratches) are intended for long-term storage, I would like the
file format to be very portable.  I know that nobody knows for sure what
formats will be able to be read in 20 years, but what would be a good
bet (to avoid having to copy the tape just to change formats)?  For this
reason, I don't want just dump tapes since they're filesystem (and OS?)
specific.

I don't need the complexity of Amanda or Baccula.  I'm not sure I need
any complexity at all.
Thanks for your POLL results and your feedback.

Doug.


Don't understand all the bandwidth used in your search for a backup solution. You've been given a number of tape scenarios, cd, and dvd backup. 2 used DLT and DDS drives backup (and restore) all of my everyday stuff using only tar commands (which could be scheduled from a cron job if I wasn't so lazy)
http://gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_Backup_using_cron_(simple)
I recently downloaded Lone-Tar - http://www.cactus.com/index.php?p=press43. It looks promising and appears worth paying for.

CD's take care of anything I feel is REALLY important.
http://cd-utils.sourceforge.net/
http://www.linux-backup.net/App/
http://www.willowsoft.com/backup/index.html

I've also got more files stored on cheap flash media, than I'll ever be able to figure out what I needed them for. I've got a couple of older laptops with pcmcia slots that still read/write 8 year old media just fine. I'm also looking at a pile of 9 and 12 GB hard drives (formatted ext3) which hold who knows what, but will seek and access as soon as I plug them in to a spare drive case I rigged for testing. So, I've archived to tape (DLT, DDS, floppy tape, Travan) flash, pcmcia media, zip, CD, DVD (usb HP unit), hard disk, and a pile of floppies. All have saved my bacon during new installs gone wrong or utility power interruptions. Tape rules if only for the quantity and efficiency of data storage.
Are you archiving for posterity?

Michael


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