Re: thinkpad backup solutions

[Jeffrey Friedl <jfriedl@nff.ncl.omron.co.jp>]

Alden S Klovdahl <Alden.Klovdahl@anu.edu.au> writes:
|> wondering if anyone can suggest a good backup solution for a thinkpad.  i
|> won't specify which because i would like something as generic as possible. 
|> the following is what i am looking for (and probably so is everyone
|> else!): 
|> 
|> 1.  portable:
|>     a) small and light
|>     b) power source, with most desired at top
|>        i. draws power from thinkpad (eg, keyboard/mouse port)
|>       ii. has small/light universal power adapter
|>      iii. adapters available for different countries (110/240/etc)
|> 2.  reasonable capacity (1GB+)
|> 3.  works with dos/win(3.11)/NT/linux/unix/mac
|> 4.  not too expensive

You forgot:
   5.  also functions as a kitchen sink.
   6.  does windows.

Seriously, though, it sounds like a tall order -- I'd guess that anything
that fits those specs (at least 1-4 :-) would have to be tape-based.

Personally, I wouldn't want to use tape except for backups that looked to
be very long term (and I tend to use my backups often to check this or
recover that). I use a Panasonic PD, which can read CD-ROMS, but can
read/write CD-ROM-sized disks at CD-ROM speeds at 650 meg a pop. The
problem WRT your specs is that it's not very portable -- you can carry it
around, but it's clunky (mabye 2" tall, 7" wide, 14" deep).

My brother uses a 1.2 gig MO drive, but I'm sure that's even bigger
(and MO is apparently much slower than PD). I've seem pleanty of smaller
(230meg) MO devices that would fill the rest of your parameters, though.

	Jeffrey
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Friedl <jfriedl@omron.co.jp> Omron Corp, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 617 Japan
See my Jap<->Eng dictionary at http://www.wg.omron.co.jp/cgi-bin/j-e
                           and http://enterprise.ic.gc.ca/cgi-bin/j-e