Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!ucbvax!Xerox.COM!"Bruce_G._Kahler.rochX2"
From: "Bruce_G._Kahler.rochX2"@Xerox.COM
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Once again, foreign tape utilities (MTEXCH)
Message-ID: <880513-165511-6579@Xerox>
Date: 13 May 88 12:51:33 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: bkahl.rochX2@Xerox.COM
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 21

We have used the MTExchange (MTEXCH) from DECUS with pretty good results, for
tapes between VAX and IBM environments.  We also use it to generate report
output on the VAX to be read into the Xerox 9700 printer. To quote from the
documentation:
	"MTEXCH is a Battelle-written VAX utility for copying files to and from
magnetic tape.  It provides tha ability to read and write tapes in formats
suitable for exchange with non-VAX computers.  It provides parameters to control
record length, record format, character set (EBCDIC/ASCII conversion), carriage
control and other attributes of the files being copied."
	Since the tape can potentially be for any environment, you have to "manually"
create/read each part of the tape as a separate data file, including labels.
This is part of the price of flexibility, I guess.  It only becomes a major pain
when creating a tape on the VAX to be read in, say, an  IBM system and you have
to generate labels.  On the other hand, it isn't a real big deal to set up a
template label file and a procedure to modify it and copy it to tape. 
	This inconvenience aside, the program does perform its function very well. It
can be run either interactively or batch and has a good users' guide.
I give it a thmbs-up.
	Bruce Kahler
	Xerox Corp.
	Rochester, NY 14644