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From: rbl@nitrex.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Tape drive for 3b2 (and also UNIX PC (and also IBM PC))
Message-ID: <422@nitrex.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Feb-87 12:39:43 EST
Article-I.D.: nitrex.422
Posted: Sun Feb 22 12:39:43 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Feb-87 02:49:41 EST
References: <4419@jhunix.UUCP> <18@chasefrs.UUCP>
Reply-To: rbl@nitrex.UUCP ( Dr. Robin Lake )
Distribution: na
Organization: The Standard Oil Co., Cleveland
Lines: 35
Summary: Watch out for tape controllers on serial ports!

In article <18@chasefrs.UUCP> david@chasefrs.UUCP (David Himber) writes:
>In article <4419@jhunix.UUCP>, msc_wers@jhunix.UUCP (Edward R Scheinerman) writes:
>> 
>> I am interested in purchasing a tape drive for backing
>> up the hard disk on my 3b2. Any suggestions?  ...
>
>There is a company called Feith Systems (contact Ms. Carver Mateer
>at (215)-667-5575) which sells a 9 track tape drive (Cipher) with
>an Ibex controller plus software that they wrote, which attaches
>to one of the serial ports of the 3B2.  It comes in two versions,
>the first which can read/write 1600/3200 bpi tapes is $10,000,
>while one which can also read/write 6250bpi tapes is $15,000.
>I have not seen or tried one yet, so I can't give you any  more
>details.


Caveat!  Because this drive runs on the serial port, the controller it uses
requires that its control signals also come via the serial port.  It can
back up ASCII files, but does not work well on binary files, as some of the
octal codes are interpreted as control codes.  Also, the IBEX controller
has a limited buffer size and reading tar or cpio tapes from other sites
where a large block size has been used may be difficult.

Feith IS rumored to be coming out with a proper 3B2 controller scheme.  I'd
encourage anyone who needs a 3B2 tape to talk with them.  There are also
several other vendors of 3B2 tape I saw at NCC last summer.  If anyone needs
pointers to them, please E-mail me and I'll look in the files.

Disclaimer:  This is a technical observation of my own.  It does not reflect
any opinion, endorsement or criticism by my employer.  (I designed some tape
controllers long before I joined my current employer.)

Rob Lake
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