How long do HP DAT 72 data cartridges last?

[Tim Lanai]

I have been using 5 tapes for the last two years, each one once per week, so they have done about 100 back ups. I have some other tapes that I have been using once per month for the last 3 1/2 years to they have about 40 back ups. Lastly I have some other tapes that are 3 1/2 years old that I have used once per year so they have 3 or 4 back ups on them.

Do I need to replace the older tapes even though they don't have many back-ups on them? How many back ups can I do on the newer tapes? By using older or worn out tapes, does it hurt the tape drive?

I use the cleaning catridge on a weekly basis. How many cleans can I do on that tape before i should replace it?

I just had to replace my 3 1/2 year old tape drive at a cost of $500 and I don't want to go through that again.

Thanks

[Richard Bickers]

Hi Tim. I contacted the media team and they gave me this reply:

The lifespan of DAT tapes can be dependant on many factors; environmental usage conditions, non-use storage conditions, back-up routine, load/unload frequency etc. As a rule of thumb DAT tapes are warranted to last 100 full volume back-up/restores or a combination of the two up to 100 as detailed in the following link:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?locale=en_US&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=34632&prodTypeId=12169&objectID=lpg50335

They also carry a 30 year archive cover, again, as long as correct conditions are adhered to.

The number of cleans that can be obtained from a cleaning cartridge is dictated by the firmware in the drive. The HP DAT 72 provides 50 cleans and then the cartridge should be discarded - it will not clead after that and will eject immediately.

Once a data tape has been used to the extent above HP recommend discarding it and replacing it with a new one.

[Tim Lanai]

Thanks for getting back to me Richard. So if I understand correctly, if I have a tape that I have only used once per year for the last 4 years, I should be able to get plenty of more use out it (up to 100 backups) even though it is 4 years old? As long as I am storing it correctly, I can continue to do backups on it for up to 30 years and 100 backups, correct?

[Richard Bickers]

Yes, that's about it. The 30 years is expected to be mainly shelf time but, yes, if you look after your tapes - and your drive - they should last as per the spec.
Tapes don't really age but they do wear - hence the 100 backup spec. Note, because DDS is linear, 100 small backups are really just as bad as 100 long ones because they are re-using the same part of the tape - the beginning. That's different to LTO which is serpentine. Richard.