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Questionable longevity of Quantum DLT
We use a SDLT 600 to archive and backup all of our rushes and projects and have been connecting to it via Safari and Firefox for many years. Recently, we had an issue transferring files to and from DLTs, which was caused by an update of the web browser.
I contacted Quantum who told me that it has never been, nor ever will be, compatible with Safari (and we were lucky to have had it work up until now), and we should continue to use an older version of Firefox. Quantum say they are no longer issuing updates in regards to DLT streamers and focusing more on supporting the LTO systems – which made me question whether they were going to become outdated. At the moment, we are using Firefox v3.6.25 to connect to the DLT, which is fine so long as it is available indefinitely.
My worry is, that as we update our software and hardware over time, we will lose connection altogether with the DLT and be unable to access our footage.
Does anyone think I need to be concerned?
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2 Replies
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If you know what combination of OS and browser will work with the drive, and your drive continues to work, then you can maintain a setup that can access your data for as long as the equipment functions. You can get VMware or Parallels and run a virtual machine just for accessing the tapes with older OS/browser combinations. But eventually, your drive will stop working and replacements will be hard to come by. If you anticipate needing to get at your data many years from now, it is time to consider migrating your data to a newer format like LTO-5. LTO has a nice, clear roadmap and is supported by multiple vendors.
Best,
Andy -
Thanks Andrew, I think you’re right.
Im going to look into EditShare Ark and weigh up my options.
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