By far the most critical areas to think about when doing tape backup is undoubtedly speed. In particular, the architecture of the tape system is extremely important. As an example, each port should lead to its own adapter whether or not it is SCSI or fiber channel. In other words, it’s often easier to connect the tape system with two single-port HBA cards as opposed to a single HBA card with two ports.
Additionally it is crucial that you ensure that the system which controls the tape hardware is swift as well. This means it is crucial that you make sure the network connections are fast (at a minimum gigabit Ethernet, preferably better) and that the storage access is fast too. It would seem sensible that the server provides direct access to the SAN as a way to have speed.
Once you start using sources like Dell’s tape backup system, you can expect a dependable system. That means you need hardware which will perform well over time. Don’t overlook issues with tape drives or tape media, and they have to be fixed as quickly as possible. To get this kind of reliability, it can certainly be essential to have a good support contract and not simply rely on warranty support.
It really is highly suggested to have a support contract against the tape hardware during business hours if cost is a consideration. If restores are repeated and take place during the night, 24×7 coverage will likely be more appropriate.
The purpose of tape backup is to make sure data is available if it is accidentally deleted due to user error, malicious hacking, or lost due to a hardware failure. Simply put, it’s a form of insurance for data. Despite the fact that having to do a restore isn’t always desirable, the alternative of lost data is very much worse. For this reason it is very important to backup all data.
To ensure there’s ample space to backup the data, make sure you choose tape media which is big enough. Something like Dell’s LTO5 tape technology is an option that gives you a lot of reliable storage space. With products like this, there is much less tape media needed to backup all the data in the enterprise. Be certain that there are adequate blank tape media ordered in addition with the tape system.
It is vital to test the information that has been restored when doing tape backup. There are plenty of places where tape restore is not requested frequently. When that takes place, it is vital for administrators of the tape system to test restores regularly. There is a couple of reasons why this is very important.
First of all, it helps to keep the skills of how to perform a tape restore fresh. An emergency is really a poor time to forget about how to use the system to perform a restore in time to be useful. That’s why periodic practice can be a positive thing. The second reason is to ensure that tapes are being written properly to the tape media, particularly for tape media which has not been used for a prolonged length of time.