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From: marks@milano.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Slotless tape backup?
Message-ID: <5641@milano.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Nov-87 07:37:18 EST
Article-I.D.: milano.5641
Posted: Sat Nov 21 07:37:18 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Nov-87 06:41:33 EST
References: <221@ontenv.UUCP>
Sender: marks@milano.UUCP
Organization: MCC, Austin, TX
Lines: 31
Keywords: backup

In article <221@ontenv.UUCP>, norm@ontenv.UUCP writes:
> We have about 20 PC-AT compatibles in my office. We wish to implement
> a procedure of regular backup of all of them. The cost of putting an
> interface card in each of these units would be prohibative and for
> that matter some of the machines have no free slots.
> 
> Is anyone aware of a cartridge tape backup system which plugs into the
> serial or parallel port or the disk controller. 

There are a number of PC products - the one I use (and am quite satisfied
with) is "Brooklyn Bridge" - which allow PCs to share peripherals generally
via their serial ports. Data transfer takes place at ~100kbaud (10KB/sec).
This is probably the best you can do serially, and it obviously isn't great
for full-disk backups; but it might be passible for incrementals.

It would be a bit tedious to use for 20 machines (i.e., attach the tape drive
permanently to one machine, connect the serial line to another, run a "slave" 
program on the latter, reboot the former, run the dump on the master; repeat 
19 times). On the other hand, it's handy for other things - harddisk-harddisk
file transfers, 5 1/4 - 3 1/2 floppy transfers (e.g., on/offloading laptops).

The Bridge comes from White Crane Systems, Norcross Georgia, (404) 394-3119,
~ $100US. There was a comparative review of similar products recently in one
of the PC magazines (but I forget which).
-- 

  +------------------------------------------------------------+
  |   Peter Marks, MCC, 9390 Research Blvd., Austin TX 78759   |
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