[aklug] Re: Off Topic: LTO drives

I love my LTO4 tape robot. Two drives, 38 slots, and a whole mess of data.

Perhaps I'm a luddite, but I like writing my data to tape. Storing
backup data on an array is expensive, rolling your own backup server
with cheap drives is a hassle and a headache, and since an LTO4 tape is
$35, if I run out of space, I swap out a couple of the tapes with the
longest retention with a couple new tapes, and I'm set for a while.

Do I still sync data to other locations apart from my tapes? Yep, sure
do. But not near as much data.

The only drawback is that I don't have the license for the backup
software that lets me back up other servers/filers via the FC link; I
have to do NDMP backups over the gigE links to my filer heads. Bummer.
I still get > 100MB/sec, and I've made my peace with that.

Adam

On 04/28/2011 09:27 AM, Shane R. Spencer wrote:
> I like this comparison. (without compression)
>
> Keep in mind that this is a comparison with a year and months WORTH of data.. not per year
> or month.
>
> Retaining a years worth of data
> --------------------------------
> Computer holding Dell LTO-3 Drive $500
> Dell LTO-3 Drive $3000
> Cost per tape $25
>
> Cost for all tapes for 1 tape/day over 1 year
> $9125/year worth
> Cost for all tapes for 20 gigs/day over 1 year and 2 full tapes every week for full
> backups.
> $3056/year worth
>
> VERSUS THE CHALLENGER (With identical offloading speed)
>
> Computer $500
> 400GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sata II SSD MLC $1900 (For offloading)
> OR Logical append of 2 x 200GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sata II SSD MLC $400/each $800/total (For
> offloading)
> OR Raid5 of 4 x 1TB 7200RPM drives (high speed striped offloading + instant archive
> access) $90/each $360 total.
> Cost per external 400-500GB drive $80
>
> Cost for all drives for 1 drive/day over 1 year
> $29200/year worth
> Cost for all drives for 20 gigs/day over 1 year and 2 full drives every week for full
> backups.
> $14160/year worth
>
> AND
>
> Retaining a months worth of data
> --------------------------------
> Computer holding Dell LTO-3 Drive $500
> Dell LTO-3 Drive $3000
> Cost per tape $25
>
> Cost for all tapes for 1 tape/day over 1 month
> $775/months worth
> Cost for all tapes for 20 gigs/day over 1 month and 2 full tapes every week for full
> backups.
> $88/months worth
>
> VERSUS THE CHALLENGER (With identical offloading speed)
>
> Computer $500
> 400GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sata II SSD MLC $1900 (For offloading)
> OR Logical append of 2 x 200GB OCZ Vertex 2 Sata II SSD MLC $400/each $800/total (For
> offloading)
> OR Raid5 of 4 x 1TB 7200RPM drives (high speed striped offloading + instant archive
> access) $90/each $360 total.
> Cost per external 400-500GB drive $80
>
> Cost for all drives for 1 drive/day over 1 year
> $2480/months worth
> Cost for all drives for 20 gigs/day over 1 year and 2 full drives every week for full
> backups.
> $496/months worth
>
>
> The initial startup cost for tapes is $3500 sans external media
> The initial startup cost for drives using an SSD offload is $2400 sans external media
> The initial startup cost for drives using a raid 5 hard drive offload is around $860
>
> Depends on what you need and what you can afford initially but I'd say the cost for tape
> media makes up for the initial cost and then some.
>
> - Shane
>
> On 04/27/2011 06:53 PM, barsalou wrote:
>> Any of you real gear heads out there have any idea why a LTO-3 drive
>> would be upwards of $3000 bucks?
>>
>> What makes it cost so much?
>>
>> Mike B.
>>
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-- 
Adam
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