Archiware P5 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Data management made simple.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Archiware P5?
It’s software from a German company called Archiware. This software automates the backup, archiving, and synchronization of data.

What’s the difference between backup and archive?
A backup is like a spare tire – if you lose your original data, it can be restored from your backup. You don’t ever want to have to use the backup copy.
An archive is like an attic – when you’re done using the data, it moves off your hard drives and onto a long-term storage archive. You may need to come back to an archive.

A backup and an archive are both copies of your original data.

Can’t I just use the Mac Finder to copy stuff from one drive to another?
Sure. But the biggest problem with backups is people don’t do them regularly. Archiware P5 automates this process so you don’t have to worry about remembering to back up.

Archiware P5 can run in the middle of the night, so it doesn’t tie up your storage bandwidth.
Archiware P5 also works with LTO tapes. You can use LTO tapes in the Finder with software called LTFS, but it doesn’t work well for backups.
Archiware P5 can create video previews of your footage.
Archiware P5 can e-mail you that a backup has finished – or if problems occurred.

If I restore a clip from a backup, can Archiware P5 put it right back exactly where it was?
Yes.

What kind of computer runs Archiware P5?
The computer doesn’t have to meet the same requirements as a high-performance editing system. Archiware P5 can run on a Mac, PC, or Linux machine – although nearly all our clients’ Archiware P5 systems run on Macs. Frequently we can repurpose a recently-retired Silver MacPro or similar. The computer DOES have to have some way of attaching a SAS or fibrechannel interface – that means a PCIe slot or a Thunderbolt port.

Can I use the Archiware P5 computer for other tasks as well?
Yes. Frequently we’ll also use the Archiware P5 computer as an Open Directory server, file server, or asset browsing server (for something like CatDV).

Can Archiware P5 backup or archive to disk as well as LTO tapes?
Yes.

Why should I use LTO tapes when I can just backup to another set of hard drives, that are much faster anyway?
The biggest argument against more hard drives is the expense of them. That said, there’s certainly going to be an additional investment in an LTO “library,” which is the box holding the LTO tapes, drive, and robotics that move the tapes around. Once you’re past those, the cost per terabyte of tape is much cheaper than that of hard drives. In the long run, LTO will be cheaper, more fault-tolerant, and more flexible. LTO tapes are also designed to last for decades – much longer than hard drives.

How much noise does an LTO chassis make?
Enough to justify installing it away from people. It’s not the fan noise so much as it is the noise of robotic servos and whatnot. To hear the sounds, go to this link and skip ahead to 45 seconds in (we did not create this clip):

How can I make two archive copies at once?
Most library systems accommodate multiple LTO drives, and Archiware P5 can write to multiple drives at the same time.

I have more questions. Who can I ask?
Give us a call!

Click here to visit Archiware’s website