Tape Backup Applications for Red Hat Linux

The Amanda (Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver) archiver is a widely-used and highly-scalable backup solution that has historically supported tape backups. However, its use with tape backups is becoming less common due to the shift toward disk-based and cloud-based backup solutions. Here's a breakdown of its current relevance, particularly for Red Hat Linux 9:
Use of Amanda with Tape Backup on Red Hat Linux 9

1. Inclusion in Red Hat Linux 9: Amanda is not natively included with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (RHEL 9). If you want to use Amanda, you would need to install it manually, either from source or through a compatible package manager like dnf if available via third-party repositories such as EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux).
2. Support for Tape Backup: Amanda still supports tape backups, which can be used with compatible hardware. If you're managing a legacy environment or have tape infrastructure already in place, Amanda remains a viable option. However, modern implementations typically prioritize disk-based backups due to their speed and ease of use.
3. Modern Alternatives: While tape backups remain an option, organizations are increasingly using disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) strategies or entirely disk/cloud solutions. Alternatives like Bacula, Bareos, and cloud-native backup tools might be more relevant for new deployments on RHEL 9.
4. Amanda's Scenarios of Use:
   • If you're dealing with a legacy infrastructure where tape backups are still in use, Amanda could be a good fit.
   • If your goal is a scalable and networked backup system, Amanda can still provide excellent disk-based solutions alongside tape.

Recommended Actions for RHEL 9 Users

• Install Amanda:^[1] Use the EPEL repository or build it from source if required.
• Tape Backup Hardware: Ensure the tape drives are compatible with your RHEL 9 system.
• Evaluate Alternatives: For newer deployments, consider evaluating more modern solutions optimized for RHEL 9 environments.

Tools such as tar and dump are considered an essential part of any Linux or UNIX system, and they fulfill their role as backup and restore utilities well in most cases. However, organizations may elect to use a more comprehensive tool that offers more extensive network backup capabilities, provides a GUI, or has more extensive data verification routines. A number of higher-level applications for tape backup are available from Red Hat, including:
Demo versions of the following are included with the Linux Applications CD:

1. Arkeia: a highly-scalable graphical archiver that contains extensive network backup capabilities
2. Bru: a command-line or graphical archiver with error detection during backup as well as post-backup data verification
3. Veritas (client): a graphical archiver
4. UNiBACK: a graphical archiver with extensive data verification routines including error checking, tape and data verification, and error notification

The image represents a layered architecture of a computing system. Here’s a breakdown of the nature of the computer hardware within this system:

1. Foundation of the System: The hardware is at the base of the diagram, emphasizing that it is the foundational layer upon which the entire computing stack is built. It includes physical components such as the CPU, memory (RAM), storage devices, and input/output devices.
2. Interface with the Operating System: The computer hardware interacts directly with the operating system layer. This interaction enables the hardware to execute instructions provided by higher-level system and application programs. For example, the operating system manages resources like memory allocation, CPU scheduling, and hardware communication via device drivers.
3. Support for Multi-User Systems: The diagram indicates multiple users (User 1 to User n) accessing the system, suggesting that the hardware is likely designed to support concurrent operations in a multi-user environment. This implies the use of robust hardware with sufficient processing power, memory, and I/O bandwidth to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
4. General-Purpose Design: Given that the hardware supports a variety of system and application programs (e.g., compiler, assembler, text editor, and database system), it appears to be general-purpose in nature. This versatility allows it to accommodate different workloads and use cases, making it suitable for diverse computational tasks.

In summary, the computer hardware shown in the image is foundational to the computing system, designed to support multi-user, general-purpose operations through its close integration with the operating system and higher-level software.
Magnetic tape was for years the most common medium used for backing up large amounts of computer data. Tapes provide a low-cost, convenient way to archive your files. Today's high capacity tape drives can back up many terabytes of data on an amazingly small tape, allowing vast amounts of information to be safely stored. Tapes are also easy to transport offsite so that data will be secure in case of fires, hurricanes, or other natural disasters. The primary disadvantage of magnetic tape is that it is a sequential access medium^[2]. This means that tapes are read or written from beginning to end, and searching for a particular file can be time-consuming. For this reason, tape is a good choice for backing up and restoring entire file systems, but not the ideal choice to recover individual files on a regular basis. Fedora and RHEL can use a wide variety of tape drives. Most SCSI tape drives will work without loading special modules. Even many IDE tape drives are now supported natively, without requiring the drive to operate in a "SCSI emulation" mode. Some drives, however, require installation of additional software. The next lesson describes RAID basics.

[1]Amanda: a highly-scalable command-line archiver included on the Linux Applications CD

[2]sequential access medium: Sequential access is a term describing a group of elements such as data in a disk file or on magnetic tape data storage, which is being accessed in a predetermined, ordered sequence. This is the opposite of random access, which is the ability to access an arbitrary element of a sequence as easily and efficiently as any other at any time.