How Backup Systems Work
Never underestimate the importance of data protection, especially in business environments. One way to maintain the integrity of your records is to make an archival copy of your records and store them safely off site.
How Does Tape Work?
Magnetic tape is a simple and durable option for data storage. Just like audio tape, a Quantum computer data cartridge stores information in a linear fashion by laying down patterns in charged particles on a backing of plastic film. Note that the particles themselves don't actually move, the recording head simply flips the magnetic fields in place to write the data in binary fashion. When it comes to running backups, it has two significant advantages over disk-based systems:
- Portability: All you have to do to move data securely off site is pull the cartridges and take them away.
- Longevity: The slower speeds and more stable design means that tape drives and their media last longer than hard disk storage, which is a significant advantage when archiving data.
What Should You Look for With Tape Systems?
There are a number of things you should look for when choosing a new backup option. Any Quantum tape drive is going to be backup ready from the moment you install it, but that should be a given when planning on archival storage. One big advantage of tape drives is that they often offer very good write speeds, which is especially important for large data sets. There are several different kinds of backup, each of which offers a different balance of tape usage and restoration speed. Regardless of the system you use, there are two things you should always look for:
- Encryption: It's important to protect your data even when it's off-site. By encrypting every tape, you can make sure that the cartridges that come out of your tape drive can't be used by just anyone. It's a vital part of any off-site backup solution.
- Linear Tape File System: This system divides the tape into two sections, or partitions. One contains the majority of the data, while the other contains an index that lets you navigate more quickly. It even lets you drag and drop to tape drive.
Archival Strategies
There are two basic archival strategies to consider; you can either create a full archive of all your data with every run, or you can create one full archive and then a series of incremental archives. The former takes more time and cartridges to make, the latter takes more effort to restore. Both options provide the same degree of reliability, the question is where you wish to focus your efforts.
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