Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ukma!rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!hundt From: hundt@paul.rutgers.edu (Thomas M. Hundt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Tape Backup Units Message-ID: Date: 7 Jan 89 16:27:24 GMT References: <425@darth.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 38 > 1) Do the "Floppy" interface units work (and work well)? I've heard Yes. > 2) Can you use a "Floppy" unit if you already have 2 drives attached to your > controller (WD1003-WA2). You can't use these since they plug into the back of the floppy controller board, which in the original IBM incarnation (on PC and XT) had a 50-pin external connector, to which you could plug floppies #3 and 4. Since none of the AT HD/FD controllers have this (let alone support >2 drives), you have no place to plug it in! > 3) Since my Hd is partitioned into two 32meg and one 6 meg I assume a 40 meg > backup capacity is adequate ... yes or no? I'd think 32 megs is sufficient... > 4) If you have some other preference I would like to hear it .. all > suggestions are welcome .. just remember I have blown the budget getting > this far and i can't afford lots of $$$$ for a backup unit. Too bad, they all seem kinda expensive. Myself, I'd opt for a 1/2 height internally mounted tape. > 6) Last .. if anyone would like to give me a short tutorial on Tape backup > and the different technologies available and some definitions you have One thing you should insist upon is the ability to retrieve data both as an "image" (ie. whole disk/partition as a unit) *and* as a "file" (ie. implied some directory type structure that allows one to find just one file --- eg. from last year's backup your 1040A). Not all tape drives (and software) permit this. I 'spose it'd be nice if the software would allow one to read Unix `tar' tapes... but I haven't heard of this (Everex, you listening?) -- RRRRRR Thomas M. Hundt RR RR Gradual Student --- Electrical & Computer Engineering RR RR Rutgers University RRRRR New Brunswick NJ RR RR hundt@occlusal.rutgers.edu RRR RRR Famous last words: "The virus ate it."