This is the process, which defines when you want to backup, what you want to backup and whether it is full backup or incremental backup etc.

This is number of days you want the backup data to be valid on the tape. After the retention period, the data on the tape will not be valid and the backup software will overwrite the data on this tape, if it is being used for backup. Number of tapes are decided based on Retention Policy

A full backup saves all directories and files, and while it might sound ideal to perform a full backup every time we back up our data, the backup window often prevents this. Because of the time and media space a full backup can take, they are often restricted to a weekly or monthly schedule.

The incremental backup provides a much faster method of backing up data than a full backup. During an incremental backup only the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup are included. Because of this, the time it takes to conduct the backup may be a fraction of the time it takes to perform a full backup. To determine whether a file has changed since the last full backup, the backup software checks a setting known as the ‘archive bit.'

Differential backups offer a middle ground by backing up all the files that have changed since the last full backup. Restoring differential backups is a faster process as only two tapes are needed — the last full backup and the latest differentia

A device, like a tape recorder, that reads data from and writes it onto a tape. Tape drives have data capacities of anywhere from a few hundred kilobytes to several gigabytes. Their transfer speeds also vary considerably. Fast tape drives can transfer as much as 20MB (megabytes) per second.

Digital Linear Tape (DLT), a type of magnetic tape storage device originally developed by DEC and now marketed by several companies. DLTs are ½-inch wide and the cartridges come in several sizes ranging from 20 to over 40 GB. DLT drives are faster than most other types of tape drives, achieving transfer rates of 2.5 MBps.

Linear Tape Open (LTO), a technology that was developed jointly by HP, IBM and Certance (Seagate) to provide a clear and viable choice in an increasingly complex array of tape storage options. LTO technology is an "open format" technology, which means that users will have multiple sources of product and media. and the open nature of LTO technology also provides a means of enabling compatibility between different vendors' offerings.

Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT), a magnetic tape storage system developed by Sony. AIT uses 8mm cassette tapes that can hold up to 100GB of data. AITs use helical scan technology and typically are used in data backup and data storage.