On 07/04/07 16:00, Andrej Ricnik-Bay wrote:
> On 7/4/07, Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> "Enterprise-level" tapes can sit in storage for 7-15 years and then
>> still be readable. Can a disk drive sit un-used for 7 years? Would
>> the motor freeze up? Will we still be able to connect SATA drives
>> in 7 years?
I was a bit harsh about connecting to SATA drives. IDE has been
around for 21 years and ATA-133 is backwards compatible with 20MB
drives of that era, so I predict that you'll be able to plug SATA-1
drives into machines with SATA-9 interfaces.
But then, the motor might still not spin up... :(
> Same with a tape-drive, no? I've seen so many standard changes
> in drives and SCSI connectors ... if you don't keep spares of all the
> equipment involved you'll face the same issue with tapes that you'd
> face with SATA disks.
No.
Enterprise tape drives are not "flavor of the month", and can always
read the previous one or two generations of tape.
And if you've switched from, for example, SuperDLT to LTO, then
you'll still be able to buy some drives on the used market (either
eBay or from a dealer).
--
Ron Johnson, Jr.
Jefferson LA USA
Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day.
Hit him with a fish, and he goes away for good!