Onstream Data - Tape Backup Information

Once you identified and figured out how much data you'll be backing up, finding the right Onstream tape backup technology is next. Here, there are several decisions you have to make and several things that need attention. These are the following:

Onstream Tape Backup Size:

Onstream backup tapes come in two sizes: compressed and native capacity. Native capacity is the real number available on the media itself. Most Onstream tape backup drives use some compression algorithms to compress the data before writing to tape. This usually greatly increases the overall available space on the tape. The compression depends on what kind of data being backed up and will not always be equal to Onstream's stated numbers. For example, .txt and other uncompressed files are more compressible than binary or .jpg files. While choosing a backup solution, always look for the uncompressed capacity which is the native type.

Onstream Tape Backup Writing Speeds:

This is an important when you backup a lot of data, and would like to have it backed up to tape as fast as possible. The tape backup, size and speed would depend upon the technology you pick. The write speeds of tape backup range from 1 MB/sec to 60 MB/sec.

The future and staying compatible: The third thing you should look for is picking a solution that will be compatible in the near or distant future. Make sure your tape backup drive is backwards compatible with older formats. A few formats out that it should be compatible with are DDS-4, DDS-3 and ADR type formats. If your data is stored on an old format and your new taper backup drive is not backwards compatible you will then have to spend funds to transfer it to your newer technology. This will greatly increase your overall upgrade price. It is even more important to make sure your tape backup drive is forward compatible with future or brand new technologies. Make sure the solution you pick will be supported and used widely for several years to come. You don't want to find yourself ever year or two buying a new tape backup system. Do your homework and see which new tape backup technologies have come out recently and which will be widely adopted by the industry.

Using Onstream for tape backup is a safe and easy way of securing and backing up your important data. Onstream tape backup drives nowadays are only used for storage and for archiving important information. Tape of course is all sequential access. Tape drives are standard equipment on file servers. DVD-RAM is much faster than tape but the sheer amount of information tape drives can hold is much more reasonable and that means easier to be left unattended. Due to the simplicity of tape drive backups it can be assumed they will be done as scheduled. Tape can be too slow and linear for some peoples liking but the low cost of it makes it a justified backup option.