Tape backup refers to the process of copying and archiving data onto a magnetic tape for protection and recovery purposes in case the primary storage is lost or corrupted. Tape backups have been used for decades to safeguard important data and provide an extra layer of data protection and disaster recovery.
In this article, we will examine the history of tape backups, discuss their benefits and drawbacks, look at common use cases, best practices for implementation, security considerations, cost analysis, and the future outlook for this method of data protection. The goal is to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of tape backups to understand if they are still a reliable data protection solution in the modern IT landscape.
Brief History of Tape Backups
Magnetic tape has been used for data storage and backup since the 1950s. According to the Wikipedia article on tape drives, the first commercial computer with tape storage was the IBM 726 using 1/2 inch wide tape in 1952 [1]. In 1956, IBM introduced the IBM 727 magnetic tape unit which became a standard for data storage [2].
Tape drives continued to evolve through the 1960s to 1980s with new form factors and increased capacities. Notable developments include the IBM 3480 cartridge introduced in 1984 which became an industry standard, and digital linear tape (DLT) introduced in the late 1980s which moved to a digital recording method [3].
In the 1990s and 2000s, new tape backup formats emerged including Linear Tape-Open (LTO) and IBM’s 3592 Jaguar tape format. These continued to increase capacity and performance to where modern LTO-8 tapes can store up to 12TB uncompressed. While other backup media like hard disks and cloud storage have arisen, tape remains a key part of backup strategies today.
Benefits of Tape Backups
Tape backups provide several advantages compared to other backup methods. One of the biggest benefits is the low cost per gigabyte (GB) stored. Tape cartridges can store terabytes of data at a fraction of the cost of hard drives or solid state drives. According to one source, tape offers costs at least 80% lower than on-premise disk and in the cloud [1]. The affordability makes tape attractive for large capacity and archival data storage needs.
Another advantage of tape is the long shelf life. With proper storage, tapes can retain data for 30 years or more before requiring migration to new media. This makes tapes well-suited for long-term archiving where data access is infrequent but data retention is critical. Tape’s lifespan exceeds other media like hard drives and optical discs [2].
Lastly, tape backups are highly portable and removable. Multiple tapes can be easily transported offsite for disaster recovery purposes. The ability to physically move tape to different secure locations provides an extra layer of protection compared to always-connected hard drives or cloud storage. Tapes are also compact, requiring little space compared to an equivalent amount of disk storage [3].
Drawbacks of Tape Backups
One of the biggest drawbacks of using tapes for backup is their slow data transfer speeds. Tape drives have slower write and read speeds compared to hard drives and other storage media. Data is written sequentially on tape, which means accessing random pieces of data takes longer compared to random access devices like hard disk drives. According to PitsDataRecovery, tape backup speed is often between 10-40 MB/s depending on the drive, much slower than a hard drive’s 100+ MB/s transfer rate. This makes the backup and recovery process lengthier.
Tapes can also be susceptible to data corruption and retrieval issues. The magnetic recording layer on tapes can become damaged over time, especially if stored improperly. This makes data recovery difficult or sometimes impossible. Tapes have a limited shelf life and media degradation can occur after 5-10 years. Successful retrieval rates from older tapes are not very high. In addition, tapes use proprietary formats, so finding working tape drives to read older media can be a challenge. Lost or mislabeled tapes also make restoration difficult.
Use Cases
Tape backups are ideal for large scale, enterprise environments that need to protect large amounts of data. The high capacity and low cost per terabyte make tape well suited for backing up enormous databases or media files that would be too expensive to store in the cloud (https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatabackup/definition/tape-backup). Tape is also useful for air-gapped storage, where data needs to be physically isolated from networks for security reasons (https://www.itprotoday.com/business-continuity/3-current-use-cases-tape-backup-solutions).
For smaller businesses and home users, tape may not be the best option. Tape drives tend to be slower for recovery than disks or cloud storage. The capacity of a single tape cartridge may also be overkill for backing up a few computers or devices. Cloud storage provides more convenience and flexibility for smaller backup needs. However, tape can serve as an additional layer of protection against catastrophic failures that impact both local storage and cloud services (https://storware.eu/blog/the-importance-of-tape-backup-in-modern-data-storage/).
Best Practices
If you are going to leverage magnetic tape for backup storage, it’s important to follow best practices to get the most out of the media. Here are some key best practices to keep in mind:
Proper storage environment – Tape media needs to be stored properly to maximize its lifespan. The ideal environment is around 70°F with 40-50% relative humidity. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can impact tape. Storing tape offsite in a climate-controlled vault is recommended. See this Veeam post for more environment tips.
Regular integrity checks – You should periodically verify and re-write the data on your tapes to refresh them and check for errors. Tape errors can increase substantially after around a year, so refresh your tapes at least annually. Use a tool like Veeam to simplify integrity checking and refreshing.
Offsite storage – Keeping a copy of your tape backups offsite and outside your main facility is critical for disaster recovery. This protects against site failures, natural disasters, hardware failures and more. Rotate tapes to offsite vaults regularly. Offsite tapes should be stored securely and in proper environmental conditions.
Security Considerations
When using tape backups, security is a top concern. There are several ways to help secure tape backups:
Physical Security
Tapes should be stored in a secure, access-controlled location to prevent theft or damage. Fireproof safes and offsite storage facilities are common solutions. Proper handling and transportation procedures should be followed as well (1).
Data Encryption
Encrypting data on tapes adds an extra layer of protection in case tapes are lost or stolen. Both software and hardware encryption options exist, such as built-in drive encryption and backup software encryption (2).
Access Controls
Proper access controls should restrict who can access, write to, and remove tapes. Audit logging features can track tape usage as well. Tapes should always be securely erased or destroyed when no longer needed (1).
With proper physical security, encryption, and access controls, organizations can help mitigate the risks associated with tape backups.
(1) https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos/2.3.0?topic=dfsmsdss-securing-your-tape-backups
(2) https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatabackup/definition/tape-backup
Cost Analysis
The costs of a tape backup system can be broken down into three main components: hardware costs, tape media costs, and personnel overhead.
Hardware costs include the tape library, tape drives, and any additional hardware required like servers or fiber channel connections. Tape drives typically cost around $2,000 each according to one source (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7698665). The tape library and additional hardware can also be a significant upfront investment.
Tape media is an ongoing cost, as new tapes need to be purchased periodically to replace tapes that get damaged or reach capacity. According to one source, adding 20 new tapes annually for backups and redundancy costs approximately $1,300 (https://www.simplstor.com/index.php/platform/whitepapers/14-real-cost-of-tape). Larger environments will require more tape media purchases.
There is also personnel overhead to factor in for managing and maintaining the tape backup infrastructure. This includes IT staff time for setup, monitoring, testing restores, tape rotation, and troubleshooting any issues.
Overall the hardware investment and ongoing tape media costs for tape backups can be high compared to other solutions. But for larger data volumes tape remains very cost effective in terms of cost per GB stored.
Future Outlook
Tape backup continues to see advancements that point to an ongoing future. According to one source, new advancements allow tapes to store up to 201 TB per cartridge and reach maximum uncompressed capacities of 461 TB, over 15x greater than previous LTO cartridges (Source). Tape manufacturers continue researching ways to increase capacities and transfer speeds.
However, tape faces strong competition from cloud storage and on-prem object storage solutions. While tape retains advantages for long-term archival storage, its sequential access is slower for frequent data access. As bandwidth improves and cloud storage costs decline, cloud can match or beat tape for archival use cases. Still, tape remains far cheaper than cloud for storing hundreds of terabytes or more. For true long-term archival needs of 30+ years, tape may have advantages over cloud storage solutions that could change or disappear.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tape backups can be a reliable method of data storage and protection if implemented properly. The key points around tape backup reliability include:
- Tape has been used for backups since the 1950s, proving its longevity as a storage medium.
- Tapes are more physically robust than other media like hard drives and optical discs.
- Tapes stored offline provide an air gap against malware, ransomware, and other online threats.
- LTO tape technology offers high capacity and fast transfer speeds.
- Tapes must be stored properly and replaced periodically to avoid degradation.
- Tape backup systems require careful setup, testing, and maintenance.
- The cost per terabyte of tape storage is very low compared to other media.
Overall, tape backups remain a smart choice for large volumes of infrequently accessed data. Following best practices around handling, testing, and redundancy is key to ensuring reliability. Tape is likely to continue playing a role in data protection for the foreseeable future.
