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is it advisable to recycle tapes?

manatee
Level 6

i'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of recycling tapes against buying 100s of them every two months.

is it advisable to recycle tapes? if so, up to how many recycles can they be used?
 

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Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

Absolutely !!

See  Tape durability

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Tape-Open

Even the most aggressive usage gives 4 years of usage.

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6 REPLIES 6

Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

Absolutely !!

See  Tape durability

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Tape-Open

Even the most aggressive usage gives 4 years of usage.

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

YES!!

Tapes can be re-used/overwritten hundreds of times. (Provided that they are handled and stored as per manufacturers recommendations.)

manatee
Level 6

thanks for all replies! i think we should be fine if keep maximum reuse to 48 times.

Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

Just remember that 48 mounts in Netbackup is not equal to 48 full usages.

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

48 - yikes, you should get way way more than that.

Have a look at StorSentry - this will tell you when you tapes/ drives really need replacing.

Stumpr2
Level 6

The United States IRS recycles tapes. it seems to work to their advantage.