I only have ~1.5TB stuff that is really important which fits on a single LTO5 tape. (I said LTO6 before, I was mistaken) I archive every ~3 months, generally be

I only have ~1.5TB stuff that is really important which fits on a single LTO5 tape. (I said LTO6 before, I was mistaken) I archive every ~3 months, generally before I make bigger changes. I always do a full tar archive, it typically takes the whole day, definitely an event my family is aware of. I use a desktop HP Ultrium LTO5 drive. I fit on a single tape, but even if I didn't, changing tape twice a day would not be an big ask. Months of researching, ~$900 total on 2 used drives (first one was broken) + enclosure + SAS controller + 5 tapes. You need the enclosure with forced air cooling, you can't put the bare drive in a PC tower, it will overheat. I cannot imagine archiving 20TB with my cheapo setup, but I also cannot imagine spending ~3K for a newer drive, this is a sweet spot for me. After buying a broken drive first, I am now always nervous that this drive will quit on me. It is definitely a passion project at this point.