winnielinnie
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- Oct 22, 2019
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I've recently been bumping into the terms "RDX Drive" and "RDX Cartridges" when looking at affordable and easy-to-use tape solutions for home users, as a means to archive irreplaceable data for long term (10+ years, cold storage).
Brilliant marketing. RDX Cartridges designed to resemble their tape counterparts, but are fundamentally different storage technologies.
My idea would be to dump data and files (photos, videos, documents) that never change, yet are sentimental and valuable. However, I want physical media that I will take the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding (e.g, fireproof safe, vault, storage unit, etc). Third-party cloud storage would not be a preferable option for me.
At first glance, RDX may not appear inexpensive, compared to standard hard drive counterparts, but they boast a long shelf life in cold storage. I've seen ranges listed from 10 to 30 years.
Here is where my confusion and skepticism begin: Further research shows that they are SATA drives within an external enclosure. I'm scratching my head to understand how they claim to have tape-like archival qualities, even in cold storage for 10+ years.
These are some excerpts from what I could find, yet I still don't get what "stands out" compared to your typical SATA drive. For all intents and purposes, you could do with these what can be done to any SATA drive in terms of random read/write access (unlike a tape drive.)
Overland Tandberg RDX Media:
What's Inside an RDX Cartridge? It's What's Inside That Counts
Sure, the rubber bumpers protect it against damage from shock, such as accidental drops. Yet that has nothing to do with device and data integrity in cold storage. Then there's the mention of "ramp-loaded heads" which is worded vaguely. (I'm still not sure how they differ from modern hard drives.) Finally, there's a mention of a copper strap, which touches the case itself, to dissipate static charge. None of these "features" seem to directly address data integrity during cold storage.
Does anyone have any experience with RDX drives and cartridges? Are they a scam? Is it simply marketing gobely goo? Just a fancy enclosure for a standard SATA drive? How do these cartridges supposedly keep your data safe for 10 to 30 years?
They are marketed and sold alongside tape cartridges, and the visuals do indeed mimic tape cartridges.
Brilliant marketing. RDX Cartridges designed to resemble their tape counterparts, but are fundamentally different storage technologies.
My idea would be to dump data and files (photos, videos, documents) that never change, yet are sentimental and valuable. However, I want physical media that I will take the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding (e.g, fireproof safe, vault, storage unit, etc). Third-party cloud storage would not be a preferable option for me.
At first glance, RDX may not appear inexpensive, compared to standard hard drive counterparts, but they boast a long shelf life in cold storage. I've seen ranges listed from 10 to 30 years.
Here is where my confusion and skepticism begin: Further research shows that they are SATA drives within an external enclosure. I'm scratching my head to understand how they claim to have tape-like archival qualities, even in cold storage for 10+ years.
These are some excerpts from what I could find, yet I still don't get what "stands out" compared to your typical SATA drive. For all intents and purposes, you could do with these what can be done to any SATA drive in terms of random read/write access (unlike a tape drive.)
Overland Tandberg RDX Media:
The RDX media is ideal for backup, restore and long-term archiving tasks.
[...]
A 10 years archival life and unlimited compatibility of drive- and media-generations are the best prerequisite for long term archiving of your data, like customer records, financial files or business documents, but also videos, photos or music.
What's Inside an RDX Cartridge? It's What's Inside That Counts
The Tandberg Data RDX QuikStor is a disk-based storage system with removable cartridges that offers rugged, reliable and convenient backup, ideal for the SOHO and SMB markets. With SuperSpeed USB 3.0, the system provides performance up to 180MB/s.
(...)
First it's a polycarbonate case, able to withstand lots of shock, as well as dissipate electrostatic shock that might happen.
(T)here's a SATA connection, so as long as you're able to provide power through a SATA connection you get at your data well over 30yrs from now.
Looking inside, one of the important features is the copper strap which connects the drive to the case, to dissipate any electrostatic charge (...) protecting the drive.
You see the rubber mounting on the outside that help protect if from the shock as well.
(S)ealed bearings that can last likely 50yrs.
A very important feature of an RDX technology is the ramp loaded heads. The heads that normally float over the disk drive while it's seeking data, when it's not in use it's powered down these are pulled away from the media locked down, that's important for two reasons: One is the shock, the other sticktion.
(A)vailable in ranges from 500GB up to 2TB, able to keep it on the shelf for 30yrs in a rugged package that's protected from shock and any other abuse you may run into.
Sure, the rubber bumpers protect it against damage from shock, such as accidental drops. Yet that has nothing to do with device and data integrity in cold storage. Then there's the mention of "ramp-loaded heads" which is worded vaguely. (I'm still not sure how they differ from modern hard drives.) Finally, there's a mention of a copper strap, which touches the case itself, to dissipate static charge. None of these "features" seem to directly address data integrity during cold storage.
Does anyone have any experience with RDX drives and cartridges? Are they a scam? Is it simply marketing gobely goo? Just a fancy enclosure for a standard SATA drive? How do these cartridges supposedly keep your data safe for 10 to 30 years?
They are marketed and sold alongside tape cartridges, and the visuals do indeed mimic tape cartridges.
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