Maintenance of Tape Libraries
I have just asked the compnay we subcontract our IT services out to what maintenance they conduct on the tabe libraries and servers that support our backup arrangements. They state that there is no maintenance, however all hardware is under contract to another firm with a 4hr SLA meaning that should any part fail, they will have installed a replacement part within that 4hr timeframe.
Whilst it is good to see a 4hr SLA in place for repairs, I was hoping to see some maintenance procedures in place to try and prevent any failures in the first place.
I appreciate failures are inevitable but is maintenance of tape libraries and media servers a common occurance for businesses, can they even be maintained at all? If so what kind of work should be carried out (I apreciated this may vary between vendors of hardware)?
Whilst it is good to see a 4hr SLA in place for repairs, I was hoping to see some maintenance procedures in place to try and prevent any failures in the first place.
I appreciate failures are inevitable but is maintenance of tape libraries and media servers a common occurance for businesses, can they even be maintained at all? If so what kind of work should be carried out (I apreciated this may vary between vendors of hardware)?
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The_Warlock is correct, there's generally no preventative maintenance on tape drives, what matters is keeping the dust out of the room they're in in the first place. If set up correctly the library will perform any cleaning required for the tape heads, software can also do this but make sure they're both set up to do it. You should verify the SLA is 4 hour fix, not 4 hour response.
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Thanks for that, it's perfectly clear now.
I will double check to ensure the 4hr SLA is for restoration.
I will double check to ensure the 4hr SLA is for restoration.