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From: rjt@sedist.cray.com (Randy Thomas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Can I Back Up my Hard Drive on my VCR
Keywords: 8mm Backup Exabyte
Message-ID: <081735.862@timbuk.cray.com>
Date: 2 Jan 91 14:45:20 GMT
References: <18220@thorin.cs.unc.edu> <1990Dec27.155820.4783@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <1990Dec31.161905.8869@smsc.sony.com>
Reply-To: rjt@sedist.cray.com (Randy Thomas)
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Lines: 23


	Actually, an 8mm video backup system exists and is marketed today; it's made by
Exabyte. Remarketed by many vendors, the various models usually have a basic storage
capacity of 2 gigabytes or so - and with longer tapes, carousels for multiple tapes,
etc, they go upwards of 20 gigabytes in a single unit. Nifty as all get out. They do,
however, wear out tapes pretty fast. Not fair to say that, tho; a tape used for backup
gets written to a whole lot more often than a home use video tape...

	It has a SCSI interface, so I suppose you could attach it to your mac; it mostly
behaves like a HUGE streamer drive. I haven't asked, they (or one of the remarketers) may
already have mac software for them. It is an EXTREMELY popular backup mechanism for
workstation networks - Here at Cray we have them scattered all over our international
network, backing up the various Sun servers we have floating around (I have one on my
desk attached to a Sun 3/50 that backs up the 3/160 downstairs...).

	We have a bunch of macs here, and we run macdump to back up their hard disks to the
Sun. Every night I pop the backups to the Exabyte drive when the Sun gets backed up...
-----
Randy Thomas				Voice: (404) 631-2246
Americas Field Technical Support	Pager: 800-SKY-PAGE id #27606
Cray Research, Inc.			FAX: (404) 631-0911
200 Westpark Dr., Suite 160		Internet: rjt@sedist.cray.com
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