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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!lll-winken!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Chip_N_Oliver
From: Chip_N_Oliver@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport,comp.unix.xenix,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Request for disk info
Message-ID: <16568@cup.portal.com>
Date: 1 Apr 89 21:52:16 GMT
References: <7715@killer.Dallas.TX.US>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 22

In article <7715@killer.dallas.TX.US> larryd1@killer.dallas.TX.US writes:

>     My employeer has need of large, high reliable disk drives with high
>     data transfer drives. The micropopolis esdi drives meet the data
>     transfer rates nicely, but their mtbf falls short by some 10,000 hours.

>     Can anyone recommend a manufactorer who makes drives that have a
>     capacity of 150 megs or greater and a MTBF of 50,000 hours?  Price is
>     not a factor, but data transfer rate is, so I suspect that ST506 is
>     out and esdi or scsi is in.

First of all I think it's crazy to rule out a drive because it's MTBF falls
short of some pre-determined requirement by 10k hours.  There's a lot of
factors more important than MTBF that will determine when and whether a
drive will fail (and luck may even take a large part).

Second, for the bulk of applications, seek time is much more important than
transfer rate.  I'd rather have an 18ms ST-506 drive over a 40ms ESDI drive
anyday.

Chip Oliver                                 coliver@cup.portal.com
Lockheed Missiles and Space                 sun!portal!cup.portal.com!coliver