Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!laidbak!obdient!vpnet!cgordon
From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Crash Gordon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: tape backup/multi pc's
Message-ID: <273056e4-3c9.1comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware-1@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Date: 1 Nov 90 18:55:04 GMT
References: <4054@pluto.dss.com>
Lines: 32


>Author: [Larry Fischer]
>I have a group of people using various kinds of pc's.
>I dont want to buy 25 tape drives.  The machines are all on an ethernet
>but we dont run novell...

I use a Colorado Memory 60MB drive to backup network machines via
ethernet/TOPS.  This works fine, except the archive bits on the clients are
not reset.  (Not a problem for me)

You can go that route, or buy one drive (about $300), an "External Kit"
(about $150), and an adapter for each machine (about $100).  So your cost to
have the clients do local backup is $300+$150+($100 X #machines).
Theoretically, you don't need the adapter board; the CMS drive will run off
the floppy controller.  But that's for internal mounting -- if you want to
drag the drive around you'll want the adapter for its connector if nothing
else.  (Unless you like opening the machines a lot?)

You didn't specify the network you're running, but if it's TOPS then the
obvious cost-sensitive solution is to get the CMS drive and backup over the
ether.  CMS might work with other networks also; the tech guy I talked to
didn't know anything about backing up over a non-novell network, but no
gyrations were needed for TOPS.  (CMS's driver program says "Backing up non-
DOS drive", but it backs it up anyway...)

The tapes for the CMS drive hold 60MB, but with compression on claims are
made for 120MB - 150 MB per tape.  I'd say 100MB/tape is probably a solid
prediction overall.  A single backup set can span 99 tapes, according to the
manual.  Lots of people sell CMS: Look in the Shopper.

-----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
Disclaimer:                Yeah, I said it.  So what?