Should we reuse mag tapes?

[ems at apple.UUCP]

In article <1058 at megatest.UUCP> jacobo at megatest.UUCP (Jacobo Bulaevsky) writes:
>
>   The question is:  Is it safe to reuse mag tapes  for  important  data  or
>   should we use brand new tapes when storing critical information?
>
>   Would someone have a strong feeling, based on experience or data, one way
>   or  the other?  I know that the whole idea of using mag tapes is that you
>   can reuse them a good number of times,  but  I  have  also  heard  people
>   saying that valuable info should go on virgin tapes.
>   
>   Any comments would be greatly appreciated.  Please mail to  me  directly.
>   Thanks.
>
I think this topic is of general enough concern that replies should be
posted.  I'm interested.

WAR STORY:  Once upon a time a company I worked for used virgin tapes for
the important stuff.  Then we started having a strange problem.  Some 
tapes would be fine for a while, then after being stored for a few days
would be unreadable.  This was never completely solved, but was believed
to be due to a batch of questionable tapes.  
 
MORAL: Use relatively new, but not virgin tape for really important things.
You want to get past any 'infant mortality' problems and use a proven 
product.  Avoid heavily used tape, as it can begin to develop problems.

We did one of our daily backups on a virgin tape, then took the oldest
tapes out to be 'keepers'  This gave the tape a few uses before something
critical went on it.  If we hit a bogus virgin tape, it was only one 
days worth that was lost, the prior day having been done on a veteran
tape.  Of course, we had to check the backups periodically ...

It takes a LOT of uses to wear a tape out.  I would guess somewhere in
the hundred range or so...



-- 

E. Michael Smith  ...!sun!apple!ems

'If you can dream it, you can do it'  Walt Disney

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