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Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watcgl!jchapman
From: jchapman@watcgl.UUCP (john chapman)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: streamer tapes
Message-ID: <2842@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Dec-85 09:58:50 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.2842
Posted: Wed Dec  4 09:58:50 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Dec-85 07:40:55 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 32

(I realize this might better have been in net.periphs but it seemed
 particularily oriented to micros to me.)

There are various ads for tape backup for micros; these seem to
fall into two (neglecting the few 9track ads) categories: floppy
emulators (shades of Dectape!) and streaming tape.  The streamers
seem somewhat more attractive due to their higher capacities, but.....

Question: some of the ads for streaming tape claim not only image
	  read.write of a file system but also selective retrieval
	  of individual files (and selective writing?).  I was
	  under the impression that streamers were an all or nothing
	  sort of affair.  Can this really be done (and is it a
	  matter of software, interface or drive)?  Can a streamer
	  (or perhaps only some streamers) perform the operations
	  you would normally expect of a 7/9/ track magtape?

A related question: does anyone have postive/negative experiences
to relate with particular tape backup systems (e.g. the Irwin 10mb
floppy emulator)?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment anyone can offer,

john chapman

-- 

	John Chapman
	...!watmath!watcgl!jchapman

	Disclaimer : These are not the opinions of anyone but me
		     and they may not even be mine.