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From: jbs@fenchurch.MIT.EDU (Jeff Siegal)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: query: new disk drive for VAX
Message-ID: <10220@eddie.MIT.EDU>
Date: 7 Oct 88 13:58:52 GMT
References: <4198@bsu-cs.UUCP> <3531@phri.UUCP> <10199@eddie.MIT.EDU> <1988Oct6.181050.788@utzoo.uucp>
Sender: uucp@eddie.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: jbs@fenchurch.MIT.EDU (Jeff Siegal)
Organization: MIT EE/CS Computer Facilities, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 23

In article <1988Oct6.181050.788@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <10199@eddie.MIT.EDU> nessus@athena.MIT.EDU (Doug Alan) writes:
>>Why spend big bux on SuperEagles when you can get 800 Meg, high speed
>>5.25-inch Winchesters these days for $3,300 each?
>Reliability.

Our experience with the Maxtors has been very good.  While we've only
been using them for about 6 months, none have failed at all (we have
quite a few; I'm not sure of the exact number now).  Similarly with
5 1/4" ESDI Fujitsu drives (although not quite as cost effective as
Maxtors), which we have been using for over a year.

We do test them when they first arrive, and we have had some minor
problems (e.g. 1/1,000 reads would result in soft errors) which caused
us to return the drive for a replacement.

Of course, we do regular backups (onto Exabyte 8mm tape--also very
cost effective, and occasionally onto 1/2" GCR) and we have spare
drives to swap in the case of failure.  No maintenance cost, and since
the drives cost less than half as much as the "big clunkers," keeping
a spare or two is quite cost effective.

Jeff Siegal