Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!brl-adm!adm!rbj@icst-cmr.arpa From: rbj@icst-cmr.arpa Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Should we reuse mag tapes? Message-ID: <4631@brl-adm.ARPA> Date: Tue, 24-Feb-87 18:19:59 EST Article-I.D.: brl-adm.4631 Posted: Tue Feb 24 18:19:59 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 27-Feb-87 04:45:57 EST Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA Lines: 20 From: Jacobo Bulaevsky Date: 18 Feb 87 01:23:41 GMT The question is: Is it safe to reuse mag tapes for important data or should we use brand new tapes when storing critical information? No. You should mail all your used tapes to me :-) Seriously, there is even a case *against* using virgin tapes. The deflowering process stretches the tape and rubs some of the oxide off. You might do better writing the data twice, or at least running a program that writes until EOT and then rewinds. You could even run a verification pass for crucial tapes. Of course, we do nothing of the sort. I am merely speculating, altho those little cartridge tape drivers often have a `retension' command which fast forwards and then rewinds. Good luck. (Root Boy) Jim "Just Say Yes" Cottrell Help! A 900 foot tall vision of Dennis Ritchie told me that if I don't get my 4.3 BSD tapes by March I'll die!