Re: tlug-digest V1 #49

[turnbull@example.com (Stephen J. Turnbull)]

>>>>> "Alberto" == A Tomita,Jr <Alberto@example.com> writes:

    Alberto> In message
    Alberto> <199509291655.BAA24840@example.com>
    Alberto> you wrote:
    >> Why are you doing this?  Large mounts or for backup?

    Alberto> Yes, the latter. Also, I want a way to transfer the files
    Alberto> I get by FTP at the lab to my machine at home. For
    Alberto> example, I could FTP an entire Slackware distribution,
    Alberto> put it in a MO, and install from it in another machine.
 
It sounds like you are planning multiple installations of the same
hardware.  I have only twice in 15 years of owning 9 computers had a
mass media hardware die on me before I retired the machine (one was my
floppy tape drive that never quite worked right); I'm probably lucky,
but that means with 2 of the same hardware (MO, Zip, PD, whatever) you
should be safe from being unable to read your backups.  Three will
definitely be safe barring manufacturer's hardware defect or mass
disaster such as SIGEOW (end-of-world).

    >> of removeable media out there now.  What I'd really like is a
    >> CD-ROM writer; CD-ROM media are about US$0.50 in quantity, I
    >> think.  With 650MB and *really* permanent storage, that would
    >> be the ultimate in archiving.

    Alberto> How about Panasonic's PD? It is also a CD-ROM reader,
    Alberto> costs around 80,000 yens, 650Mb media at 5,000 yens.

As pointed out by another message, the actual data life of the
Panasonic format MO disk is not known.  I have had many many problems
with floppy drives on computers from Japanese manufacturers (primarily
Toshiba); they tend to be able to read foreign diskettes, but not
write them reliably.  (This is not a hardware problem per se---it's
the same hardware used in their 100% compatible US products; this is a
problem with the tuning the drive to read and write the various
formats.  Early US implementations of the HD standard also had this
problem with formatting and occasionally writing DD diskettes.  There
are some computers out there with the built-in ability to read as many
as 7 different 3.5" formats, apparently.  Yeek!)

However, Panasonic is pushing these goodies hard.  Personally I don't
like the idea of being tied to a proprietary format, so I'd wait to
see if anyone else decides to support it.  (I have no idea whether
it's possible or even legal, I don't need >230MB archives and haven't
investigated PD.  I have very convenient archive for my largest
packages, it's called "Sunsite" and it even upgrades my packages while
they're archived!)  But I suspect that you will have plenty of company
if you decide to go that route.  So backup accessibility shouldn't be
a problem.

The question you need to ask is "suppose it rains on my computer and
all the hardware is not functioning---can I read my backups into an
alternative machine?"  According to that standard, the floppy tape
drive I got good use of in the US is totally dangerous in my current
environment, since I don't know anyone in Tsukuba who has one.
Fortunately almost none of them are relevant anymore, except for the
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica archives, and those I can live without.

-- 
                            Stephen J. Turnbull
Institute of Socio-Economic Planning                         Yaseppochi-Gumi
University of Tsukuba                      http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/
Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, 305 JAPAN                 turnbull@example.com