Subject: Re: Tape Backups -- tar vs. dump
To: Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.from.pl>
From: Frederick Bruckman <fb@enteract.com>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 01/02/2001 15:22:55
On Tue, 2 Jan 2001, Wojciech Puchar wrote:

> > and select a file from /home, etc. Some admins don't trust the
> > "no-rewind" tape device, and say they'd rather use three tapes to
> > backup three partitions. That's because if anyone ejects the tape
> > between backups, game over; the next backup is going to the beginning.
> what a problem?
> use rewinding device but position tape to needed filenumber just before
> each backup.

It's idiot-proof if you do all the dumps at once.

We have one system here that backs up a database to tape every week,
automatically. The tech is just supposed to check the log to see if
the backup was done, but some of the more conscientious ones eject the
tape to write the date on it and then put it back in. How many
back-ups do you suppose are on that tape?

-- 

Frederick