Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!mntgfx!dclemans
From: dclemans@mentorg.com (Dave Clemans @ APD x1292)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Tape Mechanism
Message-ID: <1991Jan23.182740.1239@mentorg.com>
Date: 23 Jan 91 18:27:40 GMT
References: <1991Jan22.160946.16793@cbnewsl.att.com>
Organization: engr
Lines: 37

From article <1991Jan22.160946.16793@cbnewsl.att.com>, by hojo@cbnewsl.att.com (HC Johnson):
> In article <1991Jan19.021429.2157@mailer.cc.fsu.edu>, boyd@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) writes:
>> In article <1991Jan16.184447.14109@d.cs.okstate.edu>, cummins@d.cs.okstate.edu (John Cummins) writes:
>> >I'm wanting to add a tape backup system to my ICD Host Adapter based
>> >SCSI hard disk system.  Does anyone know what kind (brand name/ model no.)
>> >of SCSI tape drive ICD sells in their FaST Backup setup?  I'm interested in one
>> 
>> I understand that ICD does not release their software to drive this device 
>> either, so you may be stuck with buying theirs.  If you do manage to get 
>> a driver for tape backup, please post about it!!
>> 
> There are other sources.
> 1. Berkely Micro Systems sells CT backup and software.
> 2. My own BACKUP program works well for me on the Adaptec 3530 SCSI controller.
> 3. Theres another fellow posting recently on his own driver.

About the ICD FAsT Tape Backup system:

   They use TEAC tape cassette drives.  There are 60meg, 150meg, etc.
   capacities available, though ICD only uses the 150meg drives.
   They are now starting to become more readily available; I was
   visiting Schaumburg, IL and dropped in at a Soft Warehouse store
   out of curiosity.  They were carrying those drives with IBM PC
   controllers and software.

   However, the drives sold by ICD have had their SCSI ID proms
   (or whatever the appropriate term is) changed to a non-standard value.
   That value is explicitly checked for by their software.  As is,
   their controller software will only work with drives sold by ICD.

   Technical manuals for the drives are available from TEAC.

I know someone locally whose working on a third party tape backup
package using these TEAC drives, though I'm not sure how close he is
to a release (it's not a full-time effort.....)

dgc