Well, did I open a can of worms with this one!
I originally requested opinions and experiences with backup solutions
for a Terabyte of data.
The responces can be summed up in one acronym:
DLT
I received over 50 responses via email as well as a couple via phone. I
also talked to some ex coworkers at DEC (I used to be one of those guys
that came out and fixed you stuff), and some old customers.
I'll group the overview by drive type.
Cybernetics: A few responses, mostly negative about their support and
how difficult their products can be. At least I'm not the only one w/
trouble. Yes, they are fast. But apparently getting them running is
not fun. And if they do go down, be prepared to help their Tech Support
fix them.
Exabyte: The desktop models for occasional PC use are great! But the
large libraries are a lot of trouble. One response was my favorite "They
should be called EXA-BITES!". (personally, I have had good luck with
the small single units, but have no experience with the libraries). I
was also told by a rep that on a DEC Platform, Exabyte is not a good fit
due to software limitations.
DLT: I basically heard two thoughts here. "ATL is the best" and
"Digital is the best". The only difference in the two is the label and
the firmware. I've talked with some folks who had ATL attached to DEC
Alpha Servers, and have had no problems, and a couple who did have a bit
of trouble getting them running (resolved by firmware). The people that
I talked to that had DEC 4000's and even a couple of 7000 owners raved.
Easy setup, fast, reliable (etc). The biggest failure point on these is
the leader keeps popping off (personally, I have about 10 spares in my
tool kit from my last job, and it's a 5 minute fix). The average of the
roughly 30 people I talked to with these types (ATL and DEC) have had
them just over a year, with an average of one service call each (the
most was 4, the least zero).
After pricing, I've decided to go with the DEC DLT7000. For an extra
~$20K, I get much faster throughput (Fast Wide), and almost double
capacity.
Paul Kitwin
Unix Systems Administrator
HBS International
411 108th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
206-455-2652 x515
paukit_at_hbsi.com
Received on Fri May 30 1997 - 13:51:26 NZST