Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: QuarterBack Tools - any info on it?
Message-ID: <36018@cup.portal.com>
Date: 17 Nov 90 06:53:21 GMT
References: <18351b35.ARN0d9b@gpark.pub.uu.oz.au> <35956@cup.portal.com>
  <14056@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 50

teroach!stan@phx.mcd.mot.com (Stan Fisher) in
<14056@mcdphx.phx.mcd.mot.com> writes:

	>FFS and rigid boot block), then restored the entire backup without
	>a hitch.  >And QUARTERBACK operates fine with tape drives, too.
	                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

	Could you elaborate on that please?  Just what tape drives have you
	used it on?  I thought QuarterBack only talked to "filesystem" type
	devices... So you'd need a tape drive that emulated a filesystem or a
	driver that made that translation.  In other words can it talk to a
	SCSI direct (scsi.device) type tape?

You guessed correctly re: SCSI direct.  As I thought was already known, the
SCSI direct doesn't work well with most interfaces on the Amiga except for
the 2091, the A3000, and the Supra.  Others "may" work, but I haven't heard
of anyone else's success in this regards.  Hey, don't feel bad, Apple can't
get tapes working with their A/UX on the Mac either; just take a gander over
at comp.unix.aux and read all the gripes!  :-)

The guy who designed the "Bodega Bay" did the first Amiga tape device driver
(to my knowledge), and it works with the 3M 40MB tape units that were recently
liquidated by HSC in Santa Clara, CA (and use the DC2000 tape cartridges).  As
soon as he returns the docs to me, I'll be able to check out a Fujitsu tape
unit which uses the 190MB ANSI 1/2" tape cartridges.

Also, Bob Rethemeyer (author of the ORIGINAL "QMouse" (whose sources I again
reposted recently)) authored the BTNtape handler which appeared in the Amiga
binaries or sources distribution not too long ago; his software also works
with the same 3M 40MB tape units.  Ah, those were a "steal" at $125 each, at
HSC, brand new; that's what caused the renewed interest in tape drives for the
Amiga here in Silicon Valley.

And I'm working on the Archive 60MB SCSI tape unit which uses the DC600A tape
cartridges so I can exchange data with my 3B1 and other systems since, due to
its humongous disk capacity, my lab Amiga has been the repository of all my
Internet and Usenet software forays.

IF (and that's a *B*I*G* "if") everything works out, I "may" be demo'ing some
tape stuff at the December FAUG meeting.  Though I joke about it, I am NOT
pleased having to use 1,604 floppies to back up my system.  At least the A3000
has on-board SCSI and sufficient space for memory, so most problems with
schlock 3rd party hardware vendors will eventually go away.  And I'm very
disappointed CBM hasn't seen fit to provide Amiga tape (and other) support.

[ And before anyone flames that last sentence, REMEMBER: if I cannot walk up
to a dealer, lay down cash, and walk out with the object of my desires, then
it simply doesn't exist.]

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]