Xref: utzoo comp.periphs:3374 comp.periphs.scsi:1711 comp.multimedia:47 comp.misc:11174 misc.misc:11049 sci.electronics:17077 comp.databases:8492 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!vsi1!zorch!xanthian From: xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) Newsgroups: comp.periphs,comp.periphs.scsi,comp.multimedia,comp.misc,misc.misc,sci.electronics,comp.databases Subject: Re: What is the life-time of magnetic tape????? Keywords: magnetic tape Message-ID: <1991Jan20.031911.15782@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> Date: 20 Jan 91 03:19:11 GMT References: <1991Jan17.183902.24474@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Followup-To: alt.flame Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix Lines: 36 daford@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Daniel Ford) writes: PLEASE provide a followup group where you will read answers when you cross- post like this! Conversations this far crossposted tend to run on forever, long past any useful purpose, it they don't have followups focused back to a single group. > I have an old reference that states that the life-time of well cared > for magnetic tape is about 2 years. > Is that the current state of affairs for magnetic tape? > What is the expected life-time (i.e., you can still read what you > wrote) today? Your references are far too conservative; probably you were reading a tape vendor's comments. Of course they'd like you to be replacing tapes every two years. I made this part of an 18 month study of _very_ long term data storage for the Commerce Department back in 1978; even then, you could keep a good quality magnetic tape readable for up to 20 years if you took several precautions; others have talked about storage and cleanliness of both tape and tape readers, and retensioning the tape. I'll just add that tape that stays wound for a very long time can have data write through from one layer to the next; it is important to rewind at least every three months just to prevent this write-through by subtly realigning the layers. While you're doing that, you might as well read the data to verify it's integrity, and make new tapes and backups if recoverable read errors start to show up. Kent, the man from xanth.