How to connect to tape drive from laptop?

[johnsmith12345]

Hi guys, I just brought a LTO4 tape drive but I don't have any idea how to connect to my laptop. I was trying to connect to my laptop by using USB 2.0 to eSATA adapter (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-2-0-to-eSATA-external-SATA-3Gbps-Convertor-Adapter-for-2-5-IT-/162034681833?hash=item25ba0507e9:g:f9wAAOSw9mFWGKf8) but without any luck.

I am thinking I may get a old PC (I don't prefer) or eSATA reader (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-5-3-5-SATA-IDE-HDD-USB-Dual-Dock-Docking-Station-ESATA-OTB-HUB-Card-Reader-/131208303774?hash=item1e8c9fd49e:g:H1EAAOSw7FRWZDBq).

Thanks for your help.

 

[Starcruiser]

It's been a while since I've seen a tape drive at a home setup. What would an average user need 800 TB for?
What you have isn't your average SATA. It's SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) which is only really used in enterprise level server environments. They don't make USB adapters for that.
I don't like recommending an adapter-on-adapter approach, but you might not have another choice besides using a SAS to Sata cable such as this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200431&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Cables+-+SCSI+%2F+SAS+%2F+InfiniBand+Cables-_-N82E16812200431&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmpW6BRCf5sXp59_U_ssBEiQAGCV9Gteg79AqEl76qlT3l_VruYYnfnnze2ThTVQeEznPucwaAooS8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds, and then a SATA to USB 3.0 adapter like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1KT0H05507&cm_re=usb_3.0_sata_adapter-_-9SIA1KT0H05507-_-Product. You'll still need to supply power to the drive.
Let me say this now though: this is a BAD idea. You are probably better off returning the drive and getting something non-enterprise grade if you plan to use it with a laptop.

 

[johnsmith12345]

It's been a while since I've seen a tape drive at a home setup. What would an average user need 800 TB for?
What you have isn't your average SATA. It's SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) which is only really used in enterprise level server environments. They don't make USB adapters for that.
I don't like recommending an adapter-on-adapter approach, but you might not have another choice besides using a SAS to Sata cable such as this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200431&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Cables+-+SCSI+%2F+SAS+%2F+InfiniBand+Cables-_-N82E16812200431&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmpW6BRCf5sXp59_U_ssBEiQAGCV9Gteg79AqEl76qlT3l_VruYYnfnnze2ThTVQeEznPucwaAooS8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds, and then a SATA to USB 3.0 adapter like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1KT0H05507&cm_re=usb_3.0_sata_adapter-_-9SIA1KT0H05507-_-Product. You'll still need to supply power to the drive.
Let me say this now though: this is a BAD idea. You are probably better off returning the drive and getting something non-enterprise grade if you plan to use it with a laptop.

Thanks for the information. The reason why I want a tape drive as I have a lot of videos and DVDs (they are legal) need to transfer from my old hard disks(3). And I'm really worried about all the data saved in them will be gone one day. And I think magnetic tape lasts longer than hard disk.

Sorry didn't mention I got a SFF-8088 to SATA cable (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SFF-8088-1M-4-x-7Pin-Mini-SAS-SATA-External-Connector-Cable-Adapter-/271978098874?hash=item3f532870ba:g:IWoAAOSwGotWsfM7). So do you think is it good enough to get a SATA to USB 3.0 adapter then connect to laptop by using the SFF-8088 to SATA cable?

Also, is it possible to 800 TB into LTO4 tape? I thought the maximum should be 800 GB. Thanks for telling me that any way.

"Let me say this now though: this is a BAD idea. You are probably better off returning the drive and getting something non-enterprise grade if you plan to use it with a laptop."

I know it's hard for most of us. And do you mind to provide any backup solution in here as my hard disks are getting and I've heard it's hard to fix if some of them are broken. How about getting an old PC, do you think is it a good idea in my case?

 

[Starcruiser]

Your tape drive uses LTO Ultrium 3 or 4 tapes. The site I saw before was wrong, it comes with 800 GB but can use 1.6 TB.
A good option for you then would be to get an old computer or build one that can at least run Windows 7 (with 6x SATA 3 ports, and an open 5.25 inch drive bay) and turn it into a media server. I would set it up as follows:
Dual-core 2.0 GHz or better CPU
4 GB or more DDR3 RAM
Small SSD for boot drive (~32 GB or more is fine, 64 will be great)
This tape drive and the adapter you bought as the BACKUP(which takes 4 SATA ports: http://www.cs-electronics.com/pdf/27-iSAS-887P-U-xm-p2.pdf)
Another large hard drive for main storage, shared over the network

 

[johnsmith12345]

Your tape drive uses LTO Ultrium 3 or 4 tapes. The site I saw before was wrong, it comes with 800 GB but can use 1.6 TB.
A good option for you then would be to get an old computer or build one that can at least run Windows 7 (with 6x SATA 3 ports, and an open 5.25 inch drive bay) and turn it into a media server. I would set it up as follows:
Dual-core 2.0 GHz or better CPU
4 GB or more DDR3 RAM
Small SSD for boot drive (~32 GB or more is fine, 64 will be great)
This tape drive and the adapter you bought as the BACKUP(which takes 4 SATA ports: http://www.cs-electronics.com/pdf/27-iSAS-887P-U-xm-p2.pdf)
Another large hard drive for main storage, shared over the network

Thanks again for your quick response.

Are you saying I should build a NAS for myself? I ready have one and it's not fast enough for me to access the hot data (movies) and I am planning to put the cold data into my LTO4 tape such as family videos and photos (I have a lot of family photos and large size stuff). Thanks for that.

 

[Starcruiser]

Not quite a NAS, more like a HTPC. (Home Theater PC)
It can be a computer in its own right, but smaller, quieter, and storage and network speed focused. You could even use it how you describe, with a fast 2 TB hard drive for movies etc, and the tape drive for peace of mind storage.
I can help you build the PC if you want. I'm good at finding bargains

 

[johnsmith12345]

Not quite a NAS, more like a HTPC. (Home Theater PC)
It can be a computer in its own right, but smaller, quieter, and storage and network speed focused. You could even use it how you describe, with a fast 2 TB hard drive for movies etc, and the tape drive for peace of mind storage.
I can help you build the PC if you want. I'm good at finding bargains

Thanks for your reply but I think you can't build a PC as I am in Australia, mate.

By the way, I have a few questions want to ask you.

SFF_A~>TAPE DRIVE; ACC_B~>ACC_F1; ACC_F2~>ACC_D (white); ACC_D~>SFF_B1 (the black one?); SFF_B4~>ACC_A2; ACC_A1~>LAPTOP;

I may misunderstand that but I think this is a some kind problem of connecting between Laptop and the tape drive.

SFF-8088 cable:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/z8rvwyvum458cct/SFF8088%20Cable.JPG

ACC Adapter:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/h2zc17ndwexbxcn/ACC%20Adapter.jpg

Thanks for that.

 

[Starcruiser]

The ACC-B will connect to ACC-F1, and ACC-F2 will connect to the tape drive directly if it uses 4-pin molex. Otherwise, you will use the ACC-D to convert ACC-F2 to the SATA power. This is for powering the drive, since it needs its own power source. Typically, this is done from the power supply of the computer, but this is impossible in a laptop.
You'll be ignoring ACC-C, since your SFF adapter handles the conversion part.
The chain from the tape drive will become: SFF port > SFF-A; SFF-B1 > ACC-A2; ACC-A1 > laptop USB.
If this doesn't work you'll need a USB hub for your laptop. If you have a USB 3.0 port available: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Port-2-5A-power-adapter/dp/B00DQFGH80?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
With that hub you'll then use 4 total of the ACC units, connecting each to the SFF adapter.

It would have been much easier (and cheaper) to simply buy a backup HDD. The odds of both it and your laptop failing at the same time are astronomical.