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From: pavlov@hscfvax.UUCP (840033@G.Pavlov)
Newsgroups: net.decus
Subject: Re: TK50 Problems / suggestions
Message-ID: <209@hscfvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Aug-86 02:52:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: hscfvax.209
Posted: Sat Aug 16 02:52:09 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Aug-86 10:34:23 EDT
References: <4775@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Organization: Health Sciences Computing Facility, Harvard University
Lines: 32

In article <4775@decwrl.DEC.COM>, crowell@kryptn.dec.com (Jon Crowell | 223-9757 | MLO5-5/T90) writes:
> Could you share some more of your TK50 stories, good and bad.
> If you have any suggestions on how to make the drive better
> please include them.
> 
> Thanks for any info
> 
> Jon~

  Well, I believe suggestions are always better than criticisms.  So here are
  a few (as a result of wressstling with 2 of the little monsters for the 
  past two months on Ultrix-based uVaxes):

   1. provide documentation that correlates a bit more accurately with what
      the software is doing (this applies to the entire Ultrix documentation
      set, actually);
   2. provide a meaningful operation manual for the drive itself;
   3. provide an option or two in backup and restore that take into account
      the fact that this is not a 1200/2400 ft, 1600 bpi reel-to-reel tape
      drive;
   4. ask Hewlett-Packard to sell you the source for their tcio utility.
      HP spent a lot of time and money designing a smoothly functioning cart-
      ridge drive.  But, being concerned with their customers' backup require-
      ments (i.e., reasonable speed, error-free, and as hassle-free as 
      possible), HP wrote a utility (tcio) which buffers between the system
      software and the drive itself, causing it to stream as much as possible,
      thereby reducing wear-and-tear very considerably;
   5. substantially improve the insertion/extraction mechanism, reducing jams,
      failed backups, and destroyed cartridges to the very infrequent events
      they should be.

  thank you.   greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny.