tape drive for use on Unix (Esix) system

[rick at tmiuv0.uucp]

In article <2371 at sud509.ed.ray.com>, heiser at tdw201.ed.ray.com writes:
> I have installed Esix Rev. D on an 80386/25 machine.  I feel pretty uneasy
> about doing work on the machine and not backing it up.  Since I have 
> (what I consider to be) quite a bit of disk space, floppies are out of the
> question.  It's time to start looking at tape drives ...
> 
> One consultant recommended an Everex unit -- The unit sounded like it 
> would work well -- but carries a hefty price tag of $1295!!  I surely
> can't afford that, even though the consultant would provide exceelent
> support after the sale.  My other objection is that the unit is only
> 60mb.

Well, you can get some of the other tape drives (you know, the kind that
plug into a floppy port), but check ESIX's compatibility list.  You'll need
a driver for it.  ESIX comes with a bunch of them, but check before you
plunk down your money.

> What kinds of experiences have you all had with various tape drives in
> this environment?  BTW, the machine has a SCSI controller (Adaptec 1542b)
> and a CDC Wren IV (307mb) drive.  I'm thinking that one of the new 120 
> or 150mb units (It seems that 1/4" is the way to go for compatibility 
> with the rest of the world) would be better than the 60mb one, as long
> as it will read the 60mb tapes.  (I don't think I'll need to write any 60
> mb tapes).

Personally, I'm using a Wangtek 5150S 150MB SCSI tape unit off an Adaptec
1542A.  It shows up as /dev/rmt/stape4 (I have it addressed as SCSI ID 4).
So far, I've had nary a glitch.  To back up, I do the following (there's
probably a better way, but what the heck!):

    # cd /
    # find . -print -cpio /dev/rmt/stape4

Works fine, lasts a long time.

The Wangtek reads 60MB just fine.  In fact, it even seems to write them
just fine.  I've tried it, but I don't guarantee it (I don't have a
manual for the drive).  I always use 150MB tapes, they only cost a few
bucks more than the 60MB ones.

> How much should I expect to have to pay for such a unit?  What unit
> would be best for reliability, speed, cost, and noise level (the machine
> is in my bedroom and will be doing backups overnight).

I paid something like $1100 for the drive, but it came in a box with a power
supply and such.  I wanted it that way, because I also back up my Amiga
with it (ain't SCSI wonderful? 8-))  As far as a raw drive (to put in your
system case), I don't know for certain how much they are.  To my way of
thinking, that price was "reasonable", although not the best.  You might
want to try looking a (GAACK!) PC Week and several other magazines such as
Digital Review for sources for the drives.  $1100 to back up all of my work
easily is quite a bargain, I think.  I sure don't have the time to pump a
bunch of floppies to back up.

If you decide on the Wangtek, be certain to get the "generic SCSI" version
of it.  They have a version with different PROMs that seems to be optomized
for use on Sun systems.  What the differences are, I don't know, but I've
been burned by Sun-optomized stuff before, although I've not tried the
Sunified Wangtek.  Better safe than sorry!

> Thanks in advance for your comments on this.
> Bill

Yer welcome.

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