Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!rsoft!mindlink!a143
From: Ed_Meyer@mindlink.bc.ca (Ed Meyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Backups taking longer & longer
Message-ID: <5642@mindlink.bc.ca>
Date: 26 Apr 91 15:00:01 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Lines: 26

For anyone out in net-land experienced in SyQuest and/or SCSI devices.

Some time ago I bought a GVP SCSI + 105M Quantum and have been reasonably
pleased (except for the "dithers" every now and then) with the performance.
Since the 105M was on a hardcard, the 5 1/4 slot was available: I used it to
hold a SCSI compatible SyQuest 44MB removable media harddrive.

Backups were approximately 3-4 minutes (non-verify) for a 40MB partition.
Enabling verify approximately doubled the time for a diskcopy backup.  The
backup was smooth and fast throughout the whole
diskcopy event.

Now, however, with all partitions being 70-90 % full, and after using the
SyQuest for about 14 months, I have noticed that backup times are taking longer
-- this is not unexpected.  What is unexpected, though, is that as the copying
progresses, there is an increasing period of "quiet" between diskcopy reading
from the 105 and writing onto the SyQuest.  This is true whether doing a non-
or verify diskcopy.

The copying times (on a per-track-basis) starts out as fast as before, but gets
longer and longer as the diskcopying event progresses.  This process is
consistent and repeatable, and puzzling to me.

Anyone have insight and/or suggestions?

        Ed Meyer