UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

Hi all,
Here we have a requirement like move some oracle data in to flat files and store it in Tape drives. On request these needs to be put back in tables.
The total Database is around 800 GB.
Now I must have to move around 40 GB in to Tape.
Can some help me what is the MAX tape capacity available??
I am not a Admin guy but have little Idea about Admin tasks!
I have to choose some method and ask my Admin to do the Backup and restore when required??

We use Dynix 4.5 on Sequent m/c

Thanks in Advance

Bhupal

Tape capacities vary to a large degree from
10MB to 100MB (some even larger) but in general,
you are constrained by the system (OS and HW)
that you need support for. I would suggest
taking a look at...
http://www.backupcentral.com/software-backup.html

...you can find the vendors that support
Dynix 4.5 on Sequent m/c and take you pick on
a tape backup configuration. Most vendors have
some sort of expandable cartrige tape system
with an automatic tape changer so you can run
backups that span multiple tapes without human
intervention.

If Oracle is like Informix, and I know that they are similar... Oracle uses "raw" disk space to store it's data, rather than in a "cooked" filesystem. I can tell you from my experience using Informix and "raw" disk space.. we would do an unload of the database to a flat file... then compress the flat file... which often reduced the files size 30 to 40 percent.. and then archived that file off to tape either with tar or cpio. If you had to restore a table in your Oracle database you would simple do what we do.. tar or cpio the flat file off the tape... uncompress it.. and then load the data from the table you need. As far as max data that you can fit on a single tape... that will vary by tape drive and tape media. I prefer either DAT or DLT. I have seen DAT drives with capacities up to 80GB compressed and DLT much higher than that... but media costs for DLT tapes is high. Not sure if this helps... email me if you wanna discuss further