Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ingr!b11!mcconnel
From: mcconnel@b11.ingr.com (Guy McConnell)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs
Subject: Re: Tapes in an Exabyte
Message-ID: <8136@b11.ingr.com>
Date: 8 Jun 90 17:00:55 GMT
References: <1990Jun7.200046.25259@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Lines: 34

In article <1990Jun7.200046.25259@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu>, terry@eesun1.eece.ksu.edu (Terry Hull) writes:
> We are going to be getting an Exabyte tape drive to backup a network
> of UNIX systems.  I was wondering if anyone out there had a
> recommendtation of what tapes to use or what tapes to aviod.  I know
> I've always used 3M DC600s and have had really good luck.  Thanks for
> your time.

    This is a pet peeve of mine so bear with me.  The tendency is for people
to buy the cheapest tape they can find to back up their critical disk data.  I
have worked with tape drives for the last 7 years and that is far and away the
biggest problem I have seen across drive technologies and manufacturers.  If
you want to record a CD to listen to on your car stereo (or home stereo) what
type of audio tape will you buy to capture the great audio reproduction on a
CD?  The most expensive and/or "best" tape you can find such as a CrO2 tape.
Is your data any less important?  That said, I recommend using Exabyte's
"Exatape" cartridge because it is certified for data storage and must pass a
more rigid acceptance test than standard video 8mm tape.  It bears Sony's new
"D8" trademark which means it is certified for data storage.  If Sony sells a
tape under their own brand that has the "D8" trademark, it would work just as
well, but I am not aware of them doing that at this time.  You can use regular
video 8 tapes, but you run a much greater risk of losing data.  If you drop a
pixel or two on a video, you probably won't even notice but you WILL notice
if you lose the equivalent data in your Exabyte.  For what it's worth...



============================================================================
 Guy McConnell                      | Opinions expressed  | "I'd like to be
 Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL.   | are mine and do not | under the sea
 Mass Storage Peripheral Evaluation | necessarily reflect | In an octopus'
 Tape Products                      | Intergraph's.       | garden in the
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