CD-R Backup Systems Compete With Tape

Stanford Diehl

A new competitor has moved into the backup market with the emergence of affordable CD-R (CD Recordable) drives. Given the present capacity limitations of recordable CDs, CD-R will not challenge tape backup in large enterprises that have sophisticated tape management systems in place. CD-R cannot yet support unattended backups beyond 650 MB (although multidisc changers will address that limitation soon), and sophisticated backup software is still geared to magnetic media.

The price of CD-R, both in terms of cost per megabyte and initial hardware investment, remains relatively high. However, it is fal ling fast. Pinnacle Micro ((800) 553-7070 or (714) 727-3300; fax (714) 727-1913) has dropped the price of its RCD-1000 recordable CD-ROM drive to $1995. It sells recordable media for $29 per disc, a cost per megabyte of about 4 cents. In fact, Pinnacle markets the RCD-1000 as a replacement for tape backup, bundling in backup software that works just like standard tape-backup solutions.

Superior access speed and versatility make CD-R a compelling option in the right environment. Unlike streaming-tape drives, CD-R devices support fast random access to data. In addition to being a CD recorder, the RCD-1000 is also a standard double-speed CD-ROM reader, so you can retrieve any archived file at full double-spin access speed (300 milliseconds average).

For a full tape restore, sequential tape is efficient, but retrieval of a selection of files from a tape set can be slow; you must first open the tape and then access the file sequentially. With CD-R, single-file retrieval is as fast and simple as takin g a file from a desktop CD.

The CD-R solution also gives you an effective data-distribution tool. CD-ROM readers are now a standard component on most desktops, so CDs are becoming a universal transfer medium. You could pass along a set of archived images simply by handing off a CD or mailing it to a remote site. Or you could run off a few copies of a contact database and distribute them across an organization. For large-scale distribution, you send the CD to a duplication service and pass out or sell copies. The Pinnacle Micro RCD-1000 can write to ISO 9660, HFS, CD-Image, and audio formats.

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ADVANTAGES

CD-R BACKUP                            TAPE BACKUP
-- Fast random-access retrieval        -- Lower cost per megabyte
-- Effective data-distribution tool    -- Larger storage capacities
-- Longer shelf life for medium        -- Greater backup software support
-- Versatile applications              -- Mature market