Greetings.

Sorry for the OT, but I'm looking for some advice regarding archiving.

I've always been a tape archive believer, but with SATA drives becoming more reliable and much larger, I'm wondering if it is time to change my opinion.

What are the benefits/pitfalls to begin archiving to "enterprise" level SATA drives? Is it possible to use Amanda or Bacula to archive to a drive, and maintain a archive regimen?

Archive to the drive, when the drive is full put it in an anti-static bag, and place it in storage. Possibly archive to a mirrored pair if one is really concerned.

We are considering using LTO4 as an archive medium.

With the tape densities these days, it appears the tapes are rather fragile, and that head gap seems awful small.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Again, I'm sorry for the OT, but I figured I'd get knowledgeable responses from this list instead of sales pitches...

Thanks in advance for your time.

Monty