Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!munnari.oz.au!manuel!coombs!sean From: sean@coombs.anu.edu.au (Sean Batt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.pyramid Subject: Re: High Capacity Tape Drives Keywords: Tape Message-ID: Date: 24 May 91 07:09:54 GMT References: <1080@lucifer.UUCP> Sender: news@newshost.anu.edu.au Organization: Computer Services Centre, Australian National University Lines: 36 steve@lucifer.UUCP (Steve Goodwin) writes: >Due to conflicting advice, we would welcome opinions and experiences >with tape backup systems other than standard 9 track tape on >Pyramids. Good move Steve! >Specifically Exabyte drives, DAT drives and the 3480-based >'autochanger' drive. We run a DAT drive "supported" by Pyramid in Australia. The advertising blurb we were sent showed reasonable specs: 500MBytes per hour, 40 second access to any file on the tape, greater reliability than simmilar exabyte drives. Well, those specific claims above turned out not to be true. LET ME STATE HERE THAT THIS IS ALL MY PERSONAL OPINION AND IN NO WAY REFLECTS THE POSITION OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. We get no where near 500MBytes/s, probably close to 140MB/s; the pertec interfasce does not support the fast scan mode of the physical drive (grrrrrrrrrr!), and we get regular drive hangs based on (from what I've heard) a dissagreement about who's standard is the right one re some timing problems between the drive and the pyramid pertec controler. Mail me for more information. I'm due to go on leave in 5 minutes :-) Sean -- ------------- Sean Sebastian Batt - sean@coombs.anu.edu.au -------- .______. -------- Coombs Computing Section - Telephone: +61 6 249 3296 ----- | Damn |\ -- Australian National University - GPO Box 4 Canberra City 2601 -- | Fine |/ ------------------------------------------------------------------- `------'