cgh018@tijc02.uucp (Calvin Hayden x2254) (08/16/90)
General question... this may have been brought up in some earlier postings, but its been a while since I've looked at `em daily. Any statistics on how reliable 8mm cartridge tapes are when used for archival purposes (say stored without use for 3+ years)? How do they compare to 1/2" 9 track, or 1/4" QIC for a purpose such as this. Reason I ask is this: we are moving off a vax with a 9 track drive onto a network of suns with 8mm and 1/4". We have quite a few tapes archived on 9 track, which I am in the process of moving over to a media I have avaliable on the Suns. There are no plans for a 9 track drive on the suns. In summary: How does 8mm tape storage compare with 1/4" QIC or 1/2" 9 track in the area of extended storage? Is one any better than the other for this purpose? If so, which? A 9 track may be purchased if its tapes are more reliable as archive media. Email preffered, followups accepted... Thanks in advance! -- Calvin Hayden Texas Instruments, Johnson City, Tn. Voice (615)461-2254 UUCP: ...mcnc!rti!{olympus,tijc02}!{root,cgh018}
phd_ivo@gsbacd.uchicago.edu (08/18/90)
In article <1990Aug16.161652.21233@tijc02.uucp>, cgh018@tijc02.uucp (Calvin Hayden x2254) writes... >How do they compare to 1/2" 9 track, or 1/4" QIC for a purpose >such as this. I also missed the discussion, and am interested in this issue. How probable is it that at least one bit is lost irrecoverably after 2 years from a whole tape? How do the 8mm tapes compare to DAT tapes? And what is the best price/source for either? Thanks for any notes... /ivo welch ivo@next.agsm.ucla.edu