What are Tape Drives and Their Role in Data Backup
It is easy to create data backups using tape media and backups can be performed manually or by using appropriate software.
What is a Tape Drive?
A tape drive is a form of data storage device that uses magnetic tape to read and store data. Tape drives are a favourite media for archiving data because they offer a cost-advantage that is unmatched by any other data backup device. In addition, the average lifespan of the tapes is also fairly decent. Therefore, it makes sense to use them for long-term data archival.
Tape drives are very different from hard disks. Whereas a hard disk allows random access to data, tapes allow the users to access their data in a sequential manner. Tapes can be rewinding or non-rewinding type. The rewinding type of a tape is mostly used when data is to be stored in large amounts and in batches. The non-rewinding type of a tape is used for creating incremental data backups.
How do Tape Drives Store Data?
Tape drives work on a mechanism that is very similar to the traditional tape recorder that was used widely in the past. Tape drives, like the traditional tape recorders, store data on a thin flexible material that is used for reading as well recording data. In addition, this data can also be erased. Tapes work on either linear tape technology wherein the recording and playback heads never touch the tape or the helical scan technology wherein the heads touch the tape.
Why is Tape Still the Preferred Data Backup Medium for Companies Even Today?
While most of the technological experts are writing off tapes, many companies still prefer to use tapes for backing up their data. The simple reason for tapes still being preferred is the cost advantage that tapes offer to its users. Tapes can store large amounts of data and the cost per MB is significantly lower than most of the other data storage devices.
Tapes can store more than 800 GB of data and this makes them ideal for backing up large amounts of data. In addition, tapes are very easy to use. They can be connected to a computer with SCSI, ESCON, FICON, IDE, USB, Fibre Channel, or a Firewire. Tapes are portable in nature and can be ideal for any company that is planning off-site data backups. Companies can easily store their data on tapes and transport these tapes to a distant location.
Tapes have an extremely stable shelf life. Usually, tapes can last as long as 20 years if they are stored and handled appropriately. Therefore, they prove to be an ideal data archival medium. Users can easily compress the data while backing up their data on tapes. Therefore, the size of the files is reduced significantly, which subsequently reduces the total number of tapes required for creating backups.
If your company is worried about the computer skills of your employees, tapes are an ideal solution for you. Using tapes is very easy and does not require any technical expertise. Therefore, it is very easy to educate the employees about this backup media.
While using tapes, users have the option of performing manual or automated backups. Therefore, if a company is worried about its employees not creating timely data backups, it can easily choose a data backup software that performs the data backup automatically. The software available also comes with a verification feature, which allows the users to check whether or not the data backup was created successfully.
A business can further cut down on its costs by using tapes because it eliminates human intervention to a very large extent. Tape autoloaders are available in the market and these autoloaders automatically move the tapes to a specified secure location. Therefore, there is no need for someone to be present to manually insert and remove tapes.
How can You Lose Your Data While Using Tapes?
It is very important to have an appropriate rotation strategy while using tapes. Tapes are prone to normal wear and tear just like any other data storage device. When people do not adopt an appropriate tape rotation strategy, tapes have a higher chance of getting spoilt, which can result in data loss.
Tapes are fragile and prone to damage if not handled and stored carefully. Most people do not store tapes properly. Tapes should not be exposed to any contaminants such as dust or other pollutants because they can get damaged very easily. Similarly, exposing tapes to excessive heat can cause the tape to get damaged and a data loss event can occur. Many people forget to label the tapes correctly. This can create problems because if you are unable to find the data, it is as good as data loss.
Abot the Author: James Wallis
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
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