[comp.sys.next] is it OK to keep an optical cartridge running 24 hours a day?

nevai@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Paul Nevai) (08/12/90)

Well, I have a harddisk in the cube but would like to keep a cartridge in it
permanently to make (automated) backups. My cube is running day and night
with no problems.

Question: is it OK to have an optical disk up and running 24 hours a day?

If answer is yes, that would let me do cronned backups without ever worrying.

Thanks for your contributions to this burning (i.e. spinning) issue!

Paul Nevai                            nevai@mps.ohio-state.edu (Internet)
Department of Mathematics             nevai@ohstpy (BITNET)
The Ohio State University             1-(614)-292-5310.office@ans.machine
231 West Eighteenth Avenue            1-(614)-292-4975.department
Columbus, OH 43210-1174               1-(614)-292-3317.secretary
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--


Paul Nevai                            nevai@mps.ohio-state.edu (Internet)
Department of Mathematics             nevai@ohstpy (BITNET)

john@csrnxt1.ae.utexas.edu (John R. Schutz) (08/13/90)

nevai@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Paul Nevai) writes:

>Well, I have a harddisk in the cube but would like to keep a cartridge in it
>permanently to make (automated) backups. My cube is running day and night
>with no problems.

>Question: is it OK to have an optical disk up and running 24 hours a day?

There is a dust problem with the NeXT's optical drive..  You can get dust
filters from NeXTessories (at MIT) which will cut down on the dust
intake.  Besides that possibility, I cannot think of anything that
should be a problem.

the NeXTessories address is:

	NeXTessories
	MIT Branch P.O. Box 128
	Cambridge, MA
			02139

If you want information through e-mail, contact:
	dnp@bourbaki.mit.edu

						john
--
|  John R. Schutz             | Internet&NeXTmail: john@csrnxt1.ae.utexas.edu |
|  Center for Space Research  | Standard Disclaimer    |  "I'm mentally       |
|  Programmer (NeXT)	      | unstable, cracked, and clinically insane.     |
|  Etc.			      | Besides that, I'm perfectly normal."  -me     |

simsong@athena.mit.edu (Simson L. Garfinkel) (08/13/90)

In article <1990Aug12.142145.7467@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> nevai@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Paul Nevai) writes:
>Well, I have a harddisk in the cube but would like to keep a cartridge in it
>permanently to make (automated) backups. My cube is running day and night
>with no problems.
>
>Question: is it OK to have an optical disk up and running 24 hours a day?
>
>If answer is yes, that would let me do cronned backups without ever worrying.
>
I strongly recommend against leaving your backup cartridge inside your cube.

What if your cube gets stolen? 

What if your cube has a fire?  What if your building has a fire,
for that matter.

What if there is an earthquake, and a girder falls on your cube?

What if your evil twin brother comes into your office, bent on destroying
all of your files?

There are a lot of good reasons to make a backup beyond "operator error"
and "hardware failure."  Most of those reasons require that you take
the backups to another physical location.

dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (08/13/90)

In article <1990Aug13.062107.28413@athena.mit.edu> simsong@athena.mit.edu (Simson L. Garfinkel) writes:
>I strongly recommend against leaving your backup cartridge inside your cube.

>There are a lot of good reasons to make a backup beyond "operator error"
>and "hardware failure."  Most of those reasons require that you take
>the backups to another physical location.

Backups have to be convenient; otherwise they don't get done.  Leaving
ONE OF your backup od's in is a great way to make them convenient.

Take the OTHER somewhere else, and swap the two weekly, and you have
almost the best of both worlds.
--
Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: {convex,uunet}!uiucuxc!dorner