I just found out that the vendor of my current tape backup solution went backrupt a few months back (Onstream). As wonderful as the solution is, I can not continue to use a data backup device from a vendor that no longer exists. So, it's time to get a new one. Since I have acquired a number of machines over the past year, I think I need to upgrade to something that is suitable for a "workgroup" as opposed to an individual. Perferably, I'd like something that uses USB 2.0 or firewire as the interface instead of SCSI (if connecting to a machine). Ideally, it would be a network device (ethernet) instead of connecting directly to any individual machine. A full backup of my primary machines currently run about 40-50 Gigs. Partial Backups (i.e.: changed files only) probably run less than 5 gigs daily. The budget at this point is under 2K. An internet based search has provided lots of SCSI based solutions but I have no idea of reliability, ease of use, etc. Current and recent magazines that I've managed to put my hands on have not covered tape-backups. So, I'm here looking for suggestions and recommendations. Thanks in advance for your ideas. -eLindy
I love Retrospect by Dantz, works with all kinds of devices, VERY well thought out. Do not have much experience with it on windows machines, but for mixed offices (Mac & PC) there is nothing better imo
Have you considered using one or more DVD burners instead of tape? Most backup software supports DVD media now and some even span drives not just media (NTI Backup Now) so backups can be more unattended. With compression you can get up to 8-9 GB on a DVD and you don't have to worry about tape media problems. In addition to NTI, you might also check NovaStor. I believe the HP DVD writers also come with their own backup/recovery utility.
ArchAngel: Thanks for the suggestion but, given the volume of data that needs to be backed up, the DVD path doesn't work. I would have to sit there and switch out DVDs. If I were backing up only one machine, it would work fine but for multiple machines, it's too much work. OPW: I'll look into Dantz some more - thanks for the suggestion. A cursory examination reveals that they act more like a software company - not sure what kind of hardware they've got. Any other ideas out there? Thanks. -eLindy
I use the Maxtor 5000XT with Retrospect Express software. Works great and was cheap at less than $400. I did a backup on one pc, switched it over to a spare and restored everything with no probs. Here's product overview: http://www.referenceguide.com/reviews/maxtor5000.htm Here's where I bought it: http://www.maxstore.com/product.asp?sku=2392252
Thanks MMM for the recommendation. I've looked at devices like these but they don't quite fit the bill. I can't, for example, easily take one of these and stash them away in a safety deposit box every week (to protect from fire and other disasters). A device that uses tape is still the best option (as far as I know). -eLindy
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3044834078&category=1484 ive used various sized qualstar libraries- from 10 to 80 tapes sizes - havent had any hardware issues with them, priced nice but are big. on the software side ive used arcserve, backup exec.. but you might want to check out tapeware - havent used them but have been wanting to try them out. dell sells their software for servers. 5 user workgroup edition with autoloader support $199 http://www.tapeware.com/Products/TapeWare/tw_wg_10u.htm