Quantum DLT 2000 Handbook page 49

technology. No other tape drive system packs as much data in a single
cartridge as the DLTtape system; up to 110GB in native mode on a
single Super DLTtape I cartridge.
True Cost
The true cost of backup isn't in the drives and the media at all – it's in
the people and time it takes to meet your backup goals. If files are small
and the windows of time are wide open, administrative costs probably
aren't even worth measuring. In these rare situations, the lowest initial
cost solution works. As soon as you crank up the volume, however,
administrative costs can soar. If you've got 4mm cassettes filling up con-
stantly, just swapping tapes can become a time sink. And if you're really
pushing the limits of speed, capacity, and duty cycle of your backup
solution, failure rates start climbing. That means serious interruptions
and delays as you scramble to replace bad drives. In other words,
administrative costs quickly get out of control. One user told us he used
to spend 35 hours a week to support 4mm DAT backup for critical
client files. When he moved to DLTtape backup, that cost virtually dis-
appeared. That's another reason why people want DLTtape technology.
Scalability
One of the primary reasons people want DLTtape technology is scal-
ability. Scalability means DLTtape system customers solve the back-
up problem once, and then keep applying the same solutions as
needs grow. You can go from a DLT 4000 drive with uncompressed
capacity of 20GB, to an SDLT 220 drive with uncompressed capacity
of 110GB. Beyond that, you can move up to one of many available
automated DLTtape libraries with capacities ranging from "a ter-
abyte on a desktop" to many terabytes or even petabytes on the floor.
Room to Grow
One of your goals should be to pick a backup technology that has
a future. While helical scan technologies, for example, are pushing
QUANTUM DLTtape HANDBOOK 4.7