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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!ge-dab!peora!tarpit!bilver!bill
From: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Xenix vs. Unix?
Message-ID: <318@bilver.UUCP>
Date: 10 Sep 89 15:28:26 GMT
References: <12@dynasys.UUCP> <14@nstar.UUCP> <1989Sep3.222437.25599@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <34@nstar.UUCP> <26@fleet.UUCP> <8293@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <315@bilver.UUCP> <413@icdi10.UUCP>
Reply-To: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion)
Organization: W. J. Vermillion, Winter Park, FL
Lines: 39

In article <413@icdi10.UUCP> fr@icdi10.UUCP (Fred Rump from home) writes:
->In article <315@bilver.UUCP> bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion) writes:

>->I have had success with the Maynard units.  They install right, first time
>->every time.  And run right.  The only thing I have found is that sometimes it
>->didn't like to take the tar command the first time. ....
 
>How can they run "right" when you have to issue work-arounds to make the work 
>at all?
 
>Another netter just reported how he has to issue two tar commands to get his 
>tape to work. He complained about how this is somehow SCO's fault. The net 
>responded by reporting all is well with SCO's tape drivers, but faulting Irwin 
>and Maynard for being flaky. You only confirmed that.

I don't consider issuing a reset to the tape control being flaky, but maybe
you do.  I did have the experience of where you had to issue the tar command
twice, but doing a reset of the controller as part of the normal sequence
doesn't seem that much of a workaround. If you reset the controller before you
use it works every time.   It almost seems like a logical thing to do.
 
Since all the users are fairly naive, everything is scripted for them.  To
backup they type "tape" at the login, and the script does mtape reset, passes
the proper parameters to ctar, and continues until done.

I have worked with so much equipment in the past that required major
workarounds that I just didn't think this as much of a problem.  It's really
minor compared to some of the kludges I saw.  

Now a question regarding the other tapes.  Since the only other tapes I have
worked around were some Archives (that felt slow), and some on some AT&T 3B2's
(that WERE SSLLOOWWW!!), is the 2 to 2.3 meg/min on the Maynard's on 16mhz
386's a fair/ok/good performance.  No smileys, this IS a serious question!

bill

-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd}!peora!tarpit!bilver!bill
                      : bill@bilver.UUCP