2 Sep
2000
2 Sep
'00
1:07 p.m.
From: Richard Erlacher <richard(a)idcomm.com>
ANY Win9x-based utility that actually would provide a
no-nonsense backup
procedure, one that would recognize that it formatted the tape, one that
would follow its own schedule and would recognize the same tape each
time it
was in the drive. I'd like it to start within 1
minute of when it's
invoked
when running on a 150 MHz machine, and that
wouldn't ask me more than
once
if REALLY want to do what I just typed. I'd like
it to go ahead and
back up
Replica isn't too bad along those lines. ran is for a year on a P133
(not mmx even!)
off a AHA5142 on a HPt20 under NT3.51. The only thing it would not do is
back up
network drives.
open. When I'm using a 20-tape library, I'd
prefer it NOT ask for
permission to use the next tape, and, having gotten that perimssion, I'd
prefer it not ask again before overwriting the tape. I'd prefer it be
able
to read the backup it wrote yesterday, and I'd be
happy if it could
recognize the tape it just formatted.
I though of getting a Quantum DLT but the cost was high. The Replica
software plays well with it though. It can be preset to overwrite if
needed.
If you know of such a device that works with 4 or 8mm
SCSI devices, 100
percent of the time, preferably unattended, and will actually utilize
the
Replica worked fine with my TLZ04 (4mm DDS1).
bandwidth of the tape device (80MB/sec, in bursts, 90
MB/min,
continuous/aggregate) please share the info with us. The NT stuff is
the
I have nothing to push tape that hard.
only OS-resident software I've encountered that
actually works. The
backup
that comes with Win9x works with the picotapes that
work on the floppy
ports, but they can't handle an adult's device.
wrong tool.
What really PISSES ME OFF about all this software,
again, with the
exception
of the NT stuff, is that it doesn't know about
SCSI-1 devices, and
doesn't
work one bit better on high-speed large-capacity disk
drives than on
tapes.
W9x drivers are poor at best and ok only for desktop. NT is the only
thing
I'd consider other thn *nix for something server class.
backups of the whole system over the LAN every day,
assuming there's
enough
bandwidth on its 100Mb channel, I'd use it.
I've bought a half dozen
different vendors' offerings, and half of them don't even run, let alone
perform backups.
I don't like lan backup as they suck up all the bandwidth and leave the
'net useless for their run time. A 100mb channel is only good for maybe
20mb/s
and even then I'd only expect half that, thats SCSI-1 perfomance at best.
I havent tried a lot of packages, done have a lot of $$$ to spread so
anything
free or supplied with hardware is always tried. Replica came with the
HPt20
and worked with a lot of hardware I tried fairly well. However it's not
the
firebreathing stuff you use nor have I tried it at that level. For me a
3-5gb
backup every night is easily handled with that and it runs during the
night
when our net is not in use.
Allison