Hello m.riston, Here is a link to the LTO handbook.  If you look on pg.26 it list how long your tape should be good for.  downloads.dell.com/.../powervault-lto4-120_Reference%20Guide2_en-us.pdf Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Hello all,  I've just inherited our tape backup system and am trying to get a hold on everything - establishing documentation/guidelines/best practices/etc for the system. I'm having a bit of trouble finding good solid documentation or even recommendation on how older tapes should be handled.  What I'm essentially looking for is input on some of the following questions: - After how many mounts/seeks/hours in use, should a tape used for daily, incremental backups be 'retired'? - After how many months, since the tape was first inventoried and used (was new), should a tape used for daily backups be considered degraded and potentially unreliable?   Sorry if this is the wrong place - but just wanted to try and get some input from those more versed in the tape world!   Thanks in advance! -Mike
Tape Retention Policy