3 2.   What do I do with my existing DDS tapes? The most straight-forward mechanism for preserving the investment in DDS tapes is to leave all existing backup data on the DDS tapes, and maintain the DDS tape drive for future restoration of that data as required.  The specified life of DDS tape-recorded data is ten years, with an expectation well beyond that provided the tapes are properly stored. If the existing archived data is copied to VXA-2 tapes for easier access and greater reliability, the freed tapes may then be moved to a secondary backup application.  Transitioned DDS drives are frequently shifted to protect secondary servers, workstations, or less-critical applications with lower data protection requirements. Bear in mind that the expected life of a DDS cartridge is under 100 uses, or less than two years of weekly backups. 3.   Can I keep my DDS drive on-line just for restores? Because both the DDS and VXA-2 tape drives are connected to the server via a SCSI interface, which simultaneously supports multiple devices, the same server can access both drives.  Question 7 describes how to connect the two tape drives.   If the DDS drive is semi-retired to only restoring archived DDS data, the drive may sit idle for long periods.  Mechanical systems must be exercised periodically to prevent bearings from developing flat spots or areas of inadequate lubrication.  It is advised that a cleaning tape be inserted monthly to exercise the drive’s mechanics. 4.   Should I transfer my DDS backups to the VXA-2 format? If the existing DDS tape drive remains connected to its original server, it is not necessary to copy the DDS tapes to the VXA-2 format.  The archived data on the tapes may be restored at any time with the same process and software utilized prior to the VXA-2 deployment. Although not technically required, some users may elect to copy the existing data archived on DDS tapes to VXA-2 tapes, for three reasons: The VXA-2 technology offers greater reliability should the data be needed in the future; the VXA-2 format allows for faster restores; the copy process ensures that the DDS tapes are readable. Exabyte offers the NovaStor TapeCopy software, which uniquely enables direct DDS to VXA-2 tape recording at the maximum DDS tape transfer rate.  TapeCopy will copy a full DDS-3 tape to a VXA- 2 tape in approximately two and one-half hours.  A full DDS-4 tape will require slightly less than two hours. 5.   Will the new format provide sufficient capacity for today and allow for future growth requirements? There is no question that upgrading to a VXA-2 tape drive will easily provide sufficient capacity for current backups.  With the largest cartridge capacity of 80 GB, 4 times that of DDS-4, and 6.66 times that of DDS-3, a single VXA-2 tape cartridge provides for significant growth when upgrading from a DDS tape drive. VXA-2 tapes are available in 20GB, 40GB, and 80GB capacities, allowing you to efficiently purchase the precise amount of storage required for your application.  The smallest 20GB tape accommodates the same capacity as a DDS-4 tape, and 153% of a DDS-3 tape. p1   p2   p3   p4   p5   p6   p7   p8