Find out about data backup tapes!

The technology of today's backup tapes and its tape media was invented way back in the early fifties by IBM scientists. This technology has proved to be one of the most enduring as tapes still remains the preferred media for backup and retrieval. This is partly because of the low cost per megabyte and also because the backup tapes as a technology has proved to be reliable and durable for the end users.

To be able to select a technology for your data backup tapes effectively from the large number of brands and standards found in the market for computer storage then it is important that you carry out some feature and benefit analysis that meet your specific information needs such as the volume of your business and your need for scalability.

Selection of the right tape technology based on this analytical evaluation would ensure that the business will not have any difficulties as the technology changes over time.

HP, Sony, Fuji and Maxell are all supplier of good quality data storage tapes!

The performance of storing and retrieving data on magnetic tape depends on several parameters and relationships. A few of the vital parameters for data tapes and tape drive units are discussed below:

Capacity:
Undoubtedly, the data storage needs of most organizations are growing at a fast pace resulting in more cartridges being consumed on data backup jobs. This leads to the use of more precious IT man-hours begin spent managing tape drives just removing and inserting new cartridges.

Backup tape capacity is often rated showing the compressing capacity size of a single cartridge, assuming a 2:1 compression ratio. If you want to fit all your data on to a single cartridge then you are advised to use a solution offering a capacity slightly larger than for your current needs because 2:1 compression ratio cannot be achieved with all the data file formats.

Speed:
Data transfer rate is measured in MB/sec and it is defined as the data writing speed as it is written on to the tape from the internal buffer of the device. A high data transfer rate of a data backup tape is a major plus while keeping up with a schedule of 24-hour-a-day customer service. This will minimize system downtime due to backup activity. Preferring a solution that doesn't match the limited schedule for managing the backup can interrupt the productivity of your business.

To achieve optimal transfer writing and reading speed the drive’s cache buffer must always be filled with data to maintain proper streaming of the drive. If there exist a data transfer speed mismatch between the host system and the tape device then a greater deal of alternative start and stop tape motion will occur when the tape drive waits for more data. This speed disparity will drastically impact the throughput performance of the drive unit and can severely increase wear and stress on the drive’s subsystem.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):
TCO should be your key concern while opting for a particular backup tape solution. Capabilities and formats vary across tape drives based on different drive mechanism. The cost of tape cartridges fluctuates, so if your organization makes daily backups then you should use less costly backup tapes and invest in tape drives which uses a more effective and costly drive mechanism.

Migration Path:
It is important to make sure that the preferred tape format is based on scalability and have a clear migration path so that during computer upgrades the solution will be backward compatible. Your preferred solution should not be based on a proprietary technology from a single vendor whose future can be put in question. You should instead opt for a solution which is produced by more than one vendor.

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF):
MTBF is a statistical value which is a measure of how reliable a tape drive is and how long it will last. This figure show for how long, on average, the mechanism of the drive will run without failure. However the real reliability of the drive is a function of several other factors, such as the cleaning frequency, the environmental conditions and duty cycle. As a result, it cannot be done an accurate prediction of the real MTBF of the value from manufacturer and the value given should only be used as an indication of the real MTBF.

Some of the most commonly used technologies for data backup tapes are Colorado, Travan, QIC, DLT (Digital Linear Tape), DAT, 8mm, Exebyte Mammoth, AIT, ADR , LTO (Linear Tape Open) and VXA.