Replacing tape changer with USB disk drives.

[Robert Huff]

Christopher Sean Hilton writes:

>  I run FreeBSD 7.0-STABLE on a file server and until recently used a  
>  Tape Changer for backups. I'm considering my options for a new backup  
>  solution. I'm actually thinking of ditching tape and using an  
>  externally attached USB or Firewire disk drive.
>
>  Has anyone gone this route? If so what was your experience?

	I have been using this for at least a year - USB2 connecting to
a PATA drive.  The protocol dumps a week's worth on one disk: a full
and six incremental backups.
	I have had no problems with reliability.
	I /do/ have problems with speed.  The fast recorded throughput
was aroud 3.5 bytes/second; faster than the SCSI-1 DLT it replaces,
but nowhere near the 60 mbytes/second of the USB,  (Yes, I know it's
"theoretical maximum" ... but even if we halve it and then halve is
again, we're still factor-of-4 off the actual performance.)  This
has resisted serious attempts for remedy,
	Hardware:
		no-name disks
		Addonics Saturn drive cartridge system
		Acer Labs USB2 add-on controller


				Robert Huff