[ale] Consensus on best deal for a scsi DAT->10Gig ?

[Keith Hopkins]

Courtney Thomas wrote:

> Greetings !
> 
> Is scsi DAT the most cost competitive backup solution, considering media
> + drive ?
> 
> If not please enlighten me.
> 
> If yes, where would you go to acquire such equipment [min: 10Gig]  ?
> 
> Appreciatively,
> 
> Courtney
> 


Hi Courtney,

   DAT drive is a bit of a misnomer.  Real "DAT" is audio, 4mm Digital Audio Tape, but you will rarely find those in the U.S. outside of radio stations and the like.
   DDS drives are data drives, also using a 4mm tape and a helical rotating head.  DDS3 and DDS4 drive, storing 12G and 20G respectively are still a bit pricy at $650+ and $1200+, but the media is fairly cheap at $10-15/tape.
   4G DDS2 drives are now "old" technology, but can still be found for around $500.
   The 10G NS20 (TR-5) drives are OK.  They are slower than DDS.  The price of the tapes are a bit high at $60+ each.
   All DDS drives I have seen have hardware compression (basic 2:1).  Only some of the NS20 drives have hardware compression.
   On the high end, there is still DLT.  The old ones start at 15G for around $1500, and the newest go to 110G for around $4500.  DLT media is very very expensive.
   On the plus side, refurbished DLT drives from Dell, IBM, Compaq (all based on Quantum drives) can be found fairly cheap ( less then $1000).

   IMHO, given todays prices for the drive & media, DDS3 is probably the best bet.  NS20 is ok for a small system.

   I've had good luck with the Seagate NS20 drives, and several drive failures with Tecmar NS20 drives.

Lost in Tokyo,
   Keith



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