Computer Tape Backup & Archival

The very first Pcs to appear on the scene relied upon magnetic tape to hold all of their data. While the machine was turned off, both the operating system and the information itself were stored to tape, then loaded again (from a cassette) when the machine was powered back on. Even before the Pcs, before there were hard drives, there were tapes that held the data, computers searching forward and back through the tapes in analogue fashion for the information that they needed. Magnetic tape was the first storage media, and continues to serve us well in the most professional of environments today.

With the ever-increasing data load, the idea of a tape backup makes even more sense than it did before. Consider the progression: Tape to large floppy disks, to 5.25" floppy disks, to 3.5" hard-shelled "floppy" disks, to CD-RW (rewritable Cds) to DVD-RW (rewritable DVDs). Through it all, there has been tape. Why? Speed and efficiency, for one thing. Burning Cds and DVDs is more time-consuming than "swiping" the tape past magnetic heads. The tapes can be reused, which isn't always the case with Cds or DVDs... and a continuous tape (or automated series of them) can hold as much data as any system (including a mainframe) needs. Even better, it holds only what you need, and the data can be defragmented at the same time!

Back in the day, tapes were on open reels, huge heavy and bulky spools. Today, they're small and light, easily handled and transported. Enterprise tape backup employs robotic controls that change the tapes quickly, automatically, and efficiently. They're very compact, highly efficient devices that secure the data quickly, allowing for off-site storage in case of fire or break-in. The accompanying software is very flexible, allows the company to choose what data to back up in what intervals as well. You can elect to back up everything once every week or month, then just the application data on a daily basis, or even just the data which has changed! Though they still use magnetic tape, the tape backup systems of today are immensely better, more reliable and efficient than those of even a decade or two ago. Robotics means that there is no need for a human to sit and wait for the tape cartridge to be full, to swap with another blank or used tape. There's not even a need to label or log the tapes. That, too, is automated.

Why go with an Enterprise tape backup system, though? Why not just have each user back up his or her own data? Some of the answers to that are obvious. For starters, if it won't all fit on one tape, there's a need to have someone sit and wait to perform manual tape changes. More importantly, that's simply not reliable or efficient. If an employee fails to back up, or if the less expensive drive systems necessitated by having separate backups should fail, irreplaceable data may be lost. Then there's the collecting and warehousing of the tapes, cataloging all of them... a logistical nightmare. In a day and age when automated Enterprise tape backup systems are reaching into hundreds of terabytes to several petabytes, there's just no reason not to incorporate a state-of-the-art tape backup system.

Tape backup isn't just for data either. Today's tape backup systems can archive nearly 100,000 hours of video archival at one time! Whether that's security footage, broadcast or scientific monitoring, it's another example of irreplaceable data. Wondering how much data you may be collecting? In one example, the Baylor Medical Center backed up several petabytes for their research on the Human Genome Project. They selected the Qualstar XLS 820500, which provided them with 1,340 tape cartridge slots under robotic control. Their tape backup system choice was able of transferring nearly 7 terabytes of data per hour, storing more than a full petabyte -- uncompressed! If all of those numbers are confusing, let's just say that it's a staggering amount of information even by today's standards.

One important consideration when choosing a tape backup system is expandability. Will the system be readily upgradeable, or will you be locked into a format and design that requires you to keep it around while you switch over to a new, larger system? The idea of switching formats also comes into play. A different format means different cartridges, different storage, the need for another archive catalogue... more details and hassles that just aren't necessary with the right modern tape backup system. You'll want to make upward compatibility and the ability to expand a consideration in choosing an Enterprise tap backup system.

It's reasonable to ask what other alternatives to a tape backup system there may be. Of course, there are always alternatives, but in this case, they tend towards the rather impractical. For example, there's the idea of a mirror drive -- another hard drive put into the individual's computer, one which is set up to record exactly the same data as the first on. Sounds simple, right? But what if that system's hard drive becomes corrupt or infected? A mirror backup will not allow you to go back to yesterday's status and reinstate that. It also can't be stored off-site, so if there is a fire or other catastrophe, all of that machine's data will be gone forever. A mirror drive only protects the system from a mechanical failure of the original hard drive. As such, it should never be considered an alternative to a remote backup.

The other alternative some might consider is an online backup. This would involve the Enterprise systems' machines uploading their information to an off-site backup system. Essentially, you'd still be doing the same thing, but you'd be paying someone else to do it. While the initial outlay might be less, in the long run you'll pay significantly more. Perhaps more importantly, the security of the data is no longer in your hands when you trust some other company to take care of it for you. Additionally, even on a fast Internet connection, the data transfers will be extremely slow in comparison. If there are any complications, the backup may not be finished by the time people are returning the next day to begin working with that machine again. When all of these factors are taken into consideration, the uploading service isn't a very sound alternative either.

It's said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. That seems to be true, at least in the case of tape backup systems. Any Enterprise level system is going to be best-served by this technology. It may be a lot more precise, compact and automated these days but, at its heart, a tape backup system is still the best way to secure your company's data. To recap, look for a system that automates the process so it is as transparent as possible, and for one which is readily expanded, so that it can grow with your company and the ever-increasing volume of data it generates. No other system to date has proven as reliable and flexible as tape backup!