Tape

Overview

A magnetic tape is a storage media that can be used to save data backups. These magnetic tapes are packaged in cartridges and cassettes. Data can be read and written on a magnetic tape using a tape drive, which can be used for offline data backup storage. You can store huge amounts of data in a tape, especially for long time data storage. Magnetic tapes are mostly used by large companies that require bulk data storage facilities for long periods of time.

Tape drives provide extensive storage solutions, but there are drawbacks. Tapes only allow you to access data in sequence, so you cannot pick a file at random. Tape drives also have slow average seeking time when compared to hard drives. Despite a poor seek time, tape drives can write data on tapes at data transfer rates of up to 80 MB/sec.

Tape drives cost around $300 to $500 and tapes are priced around $15. Each tape represents a backup of your entire hard drive, so it is cheaper in the long run to back up your hard drive with a tape as opposed to buying several hard drives.

Benefits

There are many advantages to storing backup data on magnetic tapes. Creating a data backup in a tape is simple and affordable. Data can be stored in a tape for any amount of time as long as it is not placed near a magnet. It is always essential to create a data backup so that you have a copy of vital data. If the information stored in your system is lost due to natural disasters or if your system breaks down, you have another copy that can be used. Tapes are very inexpensive when compared to hard drives. These drives are easy to use and provide an ideal solution for archiving.

How It Works

Creating a data backup in tapes should be a part of your comprehensive data backup plan. You can store a few megabytes to hundreds of gigabytes of uncompressed data in a tape.

Tape drives can be connected to your computer in a variety of ways by Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial AT Attachment (SATA), Firewire, Fibre Channel, and other connections.

Data recording on a tape takes place by a linear or scanning method. With the linear recording method, data is arranged in long parallel lines that span the entire length of the tape. Many tape heads are used to write data at a time. This is an old method and has a low data density. The other method is the scanning recording method, where data is written in short dense tracks across the width of the tape. This method is also known as transverse scan. Another scanning method is the helical method where data is written in diagonals across the tape.