[OT] LTO-1 tape drives

["Douglas A. Tutty" <dtutty@vianet.ca>]

Hi all,

I'll be setting up my Tyan P-133 box as the secure /home data repository
for our home use.  I need a backup solution that allows me to take it
with me (not just copy it to another computer).  Backup set size,
tarballed and encrypted with openssl, is around 50 GB or so.

I considered using a laptop drive in a mini-enclosure but the Tyan
doesn't have USB (and I'd rather not add USB to this box).  I don't want
to use a 3.5" drive since, in an enclosure, it won't fit in a small bank
safety deposit box.  By the time I buy, e.g. three drives and
enclosures, price starts to get up.

I'm thinking about LTO-1 tape drive.  The LTO-1 has a slow enough
transfer rate that the EIDE hard drive should be able to keep it fed.

However, new drives are pricy.  What about eBay?  There is an eBay store
physically located (and allows pickup) an hour's drive away that has
LTO-1 drives for under $100 or so and come with a 30-day warranty.
Assuming that they also have the appropriate SCSI HBA for PCI, that plus
a new set of tapes should do it.

Does anyone have any experience purchasing used tape drives?  Is there
any way to determine during the 30-day warranty period how long the
drive will last?

Doug.