Tom Goldberg
Forum Replies Created
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Tim, I don’t know what you think I said that is not fair.
Yes, you do have to install software to use a tape drive, I never said you didn’t… although, in fact you don’t if you purchase a complete solution like Cache-A, StorageDNA or XenData.
I did say that you need BRU or Archiware to restore tapes made with BRU or Archiware. We did quite a bit of cross testing and I can assure you that LTFS tapes can be interchanged across different vendor’s LTFS implementations.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
If you are getting errors on restores beyond your original error of not being able to find files, you may be experiencing tape drive problems. Have you tried running a cleaning tape?
If that doesn’t work, I’d recommend you find someone with a Cache-A or a copy of Pre-Roll Post or YoYotta to see if they can read the tape. BTW, BRU doesn’t do LTFS.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
OK Nick, I’ll get you updated to a newer version – 2.1.17 was from 2012 – direct mounts should be way faster than going through the VTAPE.
Let’s take this off forum – please send an email to my address below.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
Nick,
You must have somehow put more into the transfer than you intended. There are 76 files in the transfer summary but only 5 files in the folder you indicate. That could create maybe 10 or 15 with the hidden apple files, but not over 70 – scroll up and see what else you put in there – the summary says you moved 136GB.
Your Tape Information shows a negative space lost which indicates that the files compressed a bit and that your drive is probably working well.
V2.1.17 was a good release although is missing a bunch of newer features like proper LTFS. I could possibly arrange for a software update for you if you wanted to take the chance and do it yourself.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
As I wrote to a previous poster in this forum just a week ago:
[Tom Goldberg] “The Quantum (and the IBM and the HP) LFTS software will work OK for archiving. You will quickly find that when it comes time for restoring, these solutions are not up to the job for more than 1 or 2 files at a time. This is because they are not smart enough to pre-sort restore requests for tape order and thus will zig zag all over the tape to recover each file and can take literally days for any large number of file restores”
With DPX files, the situation is compounded since you are not dealing with big old video files but many thousands of tiny individual frame files. You are going to have to purchase someone’s solution that pre-sorts – examples include PreRoll Post or YoYotta for software only or Cache-A or Storage DNA for complete solutions.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
Charles,
The Quantum (and the IBM and the HP) LFTS software will work OK for archiving. You will quickly find that when it comes time for restoring, these solutions are not up to the job for more than 1 or 2 files at a time. This is because they are not smart enough to pre-sort restore requests for tape order and thus will zig zag all over the tape to recover each file and can take literally days for any large number of file restores.
LTFS is a good choice as it is both open and has become a true industry standard. Solutions like YoYotta and Pre-Roll Post support it much better in many ways than the free stuff you get from the drive makers. Archiware and Bru are also excellent solutions but write in proprietary formats on tape and can only be restored with the brand of software that wrote it.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
If in fact your tapes are TAR formatted, it would be helpful to know that Cache-A tar tapes use a blocking factor of 300.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
The tape drive in your Cache-A is a standard HP SAS drive (for LTO-5 that would be the OEM version of HP StoreEver LTO-5 Ultrium 3000 SAS Internal Tape Drive EH957B).
It will work on a standard SAS port with appropriate cabling (easier said than done) and software but as to how MTape presents that port through its interface I can’t say.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
We always liked the old stalwart disc copying utility Carbon Copy Cloner which has been around for years, costs about $40 and is both reliable and easy to use.
Many of my old customers also had good luck with Delta Walker which also costs just $40 and can give you a detailed comparison between two directories or volumes.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net -
I’d add that with 4k file sizes, for anyone that will continue to create content, LTO is going to be your most cost effective solution.
Regardless of file size, much of the industry does not consider hard disk drives to be archival because after a year or more of shelf storage, you can’t always count on a drive still spinning up. IMO, LTO is the defacto media for long (30 year purported) archival life. With the advent of LTFS it is also becoming the defacto for interchange.
Tom Goldberg
TGCS
30201 Rainbow Hill Rd.
Evergreen, CO 80439
mailto:tomgoldberg@gmail.com
https://tomgoldberg.net