[Cialug] TBU options

[David Champion]

I'm looking at some tape backup options to update an existing DDS4 
drive. The new server only has a PCI-X slot, and I'm having trouble 
finding a PCI-X SCSI card that has a plain narrow SCSI port - most of 
the newer ones have 68pin LVD SCSI.

If I get a new drive, it will probably be AIT. Sony makes an external 
AIT2 drive with Firewire(ieee-1394/iLink) and USB2 interface. I don't 
know if that will be:
- supported under linux
- fast enough to backup

I could also get the SCSI version of that drive, which has an LVD SCSI 
interface, and I know I can get a LVD SCSI PCI-X card.

The old DDS4 drive is backing up about 10gb in 3 hours. For the near 
future we'll probably be backing up about that same capacity, but AIT2 
holds up to 50gb native.

So... any thoughts? Specifically, has anyone used a Firewire or USB tape 
drive under linux? I'm wondering if the driver supports it as a standard 
tape device, and thing like tar and md will talk to it.

-dc