Xref: utzoo comp.sys.dec:892 comp.os.vms:10854
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!ddsw1!michael
From: michael@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Michael Duebner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Using TK50s as TK70s
Keywords: Tape TK50 TK70 density
Message-ID: <2494@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 17 Dec 88 01:30:18 GMT
References: <258@ultb.UUCP>
Reply-To: michael@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Michael Duebner)
Distribution: na
Organization: AERA Tech Services, Buffalo Grove, IL
Lines: 28

In article <258@ultb.UUCP> awpsys@ultb.UUCP (Andrew W. Potter) writes:
>Question:
>	Has anyone succeeded in writing a TK50 on a TK70 drive?
>I understand that this works if you bulk erase the TK50 to eliminate
>the TK50 formatting.  I also understand that the party line from DEC is that
>the two tapes have different formulations  making this risky.
>Andrew W. Potter                         Email: awpsys@ritvax.BITNET
>Systems Programmer                              awp8101@ritcv.UUCP
>Information Systems and Computing
>Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, 14623 (716) 475-6994

We have been doing this for some time now.  

You must bulkerase the tapes first, otherwise error messages will result.
After that its no problem.  We are not realizing any errors on the drive
because of the use of TK-50K media.

We also have quite a few DEMO tapes around the shop that have been converted
to scratch backup media.  However, all permanent backups are still being
made on TK-52K (TK-70 media) tapes.

I hate to find out a year down the road that the data is not safe.  Now if
the drive could also write TK-50 mode tapes it would be a really good deal.



Michael Duebner	                UUCP : michael@ddsw1.MCS.COM
Tech Svc, Buffalo Grove, IL             	312/541-6550