Trouble with 'tar', tape archiver.

[Chin Fang]

In article <1991Jan20.070824.6205 at jwt.UUCP> john at jwt.UUCP (John Temples) writes:
>
>"tar cv /directory" does multi-volume backups fine under ESIX and
>ISC.  Don't use all those other arguments.  Under ESIX, you need to
>edit /etc/default/tar to make the 1.2 meg floppy "archive0"; ISC
>2.0.2 ships with the 1.2 already set up as "archive0".
>-- 
Thanks John, I learnt something.  Now got an open question:
 
In my old MSDOS days, I used PC-Tools to do backup to and from floppies. This
piece of software uses DMA direct access for data transfer and speed is 
relatively tolerable (tolerable only! I didn't say it's fast).  Now I have
been using UNIX exclusively and have come to know several backup utilities
in the /usr/bin.   They are almost always MUCH slower than PC-Tools as far
as backing up to and from floppies is concerned and error prone (at least
on my machine, double check after a lengthy cpio session is a MUST!).  I 
wonder whether any one can give me a good reason why this is the case? 

Regards,

Chin Fang
Mechanical Engieering Department
Stanford University
fangchin at portia.stanford.edu