Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!hscfvax!pavlov From: pavlov@hscfvax.harvard.edu (G.Pavlov) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: Is dump dumb? (Was: Contest: dump(8) parameters for DC300XL 1/4" ...) Keywords: dump(8) cartridge streamer tape backups Message-ID: <595@hscfvax.harvard.edu> Date: 16 Jul 88 15:40:17 GMT References: <655@rphroy.UUCP> <170@cui.UUCP> <23063@labrea.Stanford.EDU> Organization: Health Sciences Computing Facility, Harvard University Lines: 20 In article <23063@labrea.Stanford.EDU>, karish@denali.stanford.edu (Chuck Karish) writes: > In article <170@cui.UUCP> petitp@cui.UUCP (PETITPIERRE Dominique) writes: > > - Why isn't it possible to specify many file system to be stored > > on the same tape (cartridge). > What happens when you want to re-use the first part of the tape, and the > file system you want to dump has grown? You're not able to use the tape > efficiently unless you dump both file systems again. If you take seriously > the purpose of dump, which is to provide security of your users' data, > you may appreciate that it's better to put backups on separate tapes, so > that failure of a single tape does not destroy two backups. > - e.g., the "us programmers know what's best for you" argument. If you do, in fact, take backup seriously, you will set up a schedule of fre- quent full dumps and schedule incremental dumps for every day in-between. If you also happen to own one of the newer high-density cartridge drives, you are typically able to fit far more than one file system on one cartridge. For ONE backup. greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny