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How durable are LTO drives? I've been thinking about moving some backups to tape because of the stated durability and good cost (~$7-$12+/tb for used LTO4 tape

How durable are LTO drives? I've been thinking about moving some backups to tape because of the stated durability and good cost (~$7-$12+/tb for used LTO4 tapes+drive, depending on how much storage I get). But if the drives don't also last 15+ years, then I think the cost could be significantly higher, especially if I'm shelling out who knows what for drives a decade after their low point on the resale market.

justsomehnguy 5y ago
> LTO4 Is useless for a long-term, both from $/GB and from sanity standpoint. LTO-5 is more than 10 years old already, there is no point in trying to use LTO-4. > How durable are LTO drives? Just look at the comments here. 99% of time it just works. In 1% you throw the shit out of the window (well, you want to). Also: > Both drives and media should be kept free from airborne dust or other contaminants from packing and storage materials, paper dust, cardboard particles, printer toner dust etc.[49] And "5 Environmental" in [0] https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E21419_04/en/LTO5_Vol4_E4/LTO5_Vol4_E4.pdf https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E21419_04/en/LTO5_Vol4_E4/LTO5_Vo...