Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!sco!md
From: md@sco.COM (Michael Davidson)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: 150 Mb Archive Viper can't write 60 Mb tapes???
Message-ID: <6982@scolex.sco.COM>
Date: 4 Jul 90 03:23:44 GMT
References: <212@twg.UUCP> <6925@scolex.sco.COM> <1990Jul2.142325.13486@naitc.uucp>
Sender: news@sco.COM
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karl@naitc.uucp (Karl Denninger) writes:

>In article <6925@scolex.sco.COM> md@sco.COM (Michael Davidson) writes:
>>A 150 Meg drive will ONLY write 150 Meg tapes.
>>The 150 Meg drives are *supposed* to be able to read 60 Meg
>>tapes, but "your mileage may vary" on this one so be sure to
>>check this out with some sample 60 Meg tapes written on the
>>60 Meg drives that you actually care about BEFORE you
>>get yourself into a dire emergency when you actually
>>need to read 60 Meg tapes.

>Incorrect.

>150MB drives will (all, from my experience):
>1) read 60MB tapes
>2) Read and Write 120MB and 150MB tapes (the difference is in the TAPE; the
>   drive senses the distance between the start-of-tape holes to determine
>   the density and length). 

You are correct that the 150 Meg drives will write 120 Meg tapes.

Sorry if I didn't make myself sufficiently clear, but my comments
about checking compatibility when it came to reading 60 Meg tapes
were simply intended as a general warning that it is ALWAYS a good
idea to check that tapes can be read on the particular drive that
you may want to read them on BEFORE you actually need to do it
in an emergency. I was not suggesting that 150 Meg drives cannot
in general read 60 Meg tapes - I was just being very cautious.
(and, yes, I *have* had problems reading some 60 Meg tapes
on some 150 Meg drives)