backing up

[qmann]

I am currently running NT Server 4.0 SP6. We are using a tecmar travan NS20 backup tape drive. I am currently having awful problems with it and cannot find updated drivers or firmware. (I think the company went out of business). I'm looking into a new backup proposal for the company. Tape backups are actually pricy. I was looking in getting two external hard drives (120Gig each). They can connect via firewire or usb. What are the advantages/disadvantages to going this way and do you recommend this? It seems like the easiest and least expensive way to go but i'm sure there are downfalls. I am not too concerned about those drives crashing because i will constantly have two on the go. I'm also concerned about software. Is there software that will schedule disk mirroring on a drive? Any help would be great.

Q

 

[comtec17]

If you plan on the external drive method, I would recommend using Maxtor. The Maxtors come with a backup utility called Retrospect and can do scheduled Mirroring, Full Backups, Directory Backups, and incremental backups.

 

[qmann]

from what the specs show on the maxtor externals they are not compatible with Windows nt. any other recommendations. the backup utility sounds great.

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[comtec17]

If you have any other media, I.E DVD-Burner, CD-RW, or extra drive array, go here

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=products

 

[qmann]

i downloaded the retrospect software trial and i am still getting errors. It reads the drive but cannot find the tape. They are the tapes we have always been using. I think that the drive is done. Oh well. Tried everything i could.

 

[123Jimmy]

QMann,
I agree tapes and disks are about the same cost. Backing up to disk is the way to go for speed, cost, scalability etc. There is a new backup appliance that I just got for my company called Idealstor. You can find it at

http://www.idealstor.com.

It is a backup appliance that allows you to backup to ejectable disks. It comes with software that is built into the system that enables you to remove it while the system is up without creating instabilities of the operating system. Speeds are phenominal and you can remove the disks like tapes and use your existing disks and backup software that you already own with this appliance. Check it out. I think it is what you are looking for. Hope that helps.