skrenta@eecs.nwu.edu (Richard Skrenta) (02/14/89)
I need to add some form of tape backup to my Xenix system. I need an external model since all of the space inside my clone is full. I assume this means that the drive will need its own controller, and won't be able to sap off of the B: drive cable. It seems that most of the tape backup units out there were primarily designed for DOS; some manufacturers even charge extra for the Xenix drivers. And I've seen some horror stories about tape units posted here.... Does anyone know of a model that they can recommend? Any to stay away from? Please e-mail, and I'll post if there's interest. Thanks, Rich Skrenta skrenta@gamma.eecs.nwu.edu
daveh@marob.MASA.COM (Dave Hammond) (02/14/89)
In article <3700025@eecs.nwu.edu> Richard Skrenta writes: >I need to add some form of tape backup to my Xenix system. [...] >It seems that most of the tape backup units out there were primarily designed >for DOS; some manufacturers even charge extra for the Xenix drivers. And >I've seen some horror stories about tape units posted here.... > >Does anyone know of a model that they can recommend? Any to stay away from? I've had good luck with the Everex and Mountain cartridge tape drives. They are available in both internal and external versions, are supplied with a Wangtek-style controller and do NOT require vendor-supplied drivers, as SCO supports most drives which use Archive or Wangtek-style controllers. "Mkdev tape" handles the entire installation. I recommend *against* purchasing Emerald Systems XNX- series cartridge tape drives. They require a proprietary controller to operate, and Xenix 2.3.1 apparently *lost* its previous ability (demonstrated in 2.2) to handle these drives [a late-night tech support hack mused about not having an Emerald in-house to test the 2.3.1 drivers prior to release, and placing Emerald on the list of supported drives under the "assumption" that what worked correctly on 2.2 would work correctly on 2.3]. -- Dave Hammond daveh@marob.masa.com
russ@bbx.UUCP (Russ Kepler) (02/16/89)
In article <551@marob.MASA.COM> daveh@marob.masa.com (Dave Hammond) writes: >I recommend *against* purchasing Emerald Systems XNX- series cartridge >tape drives. They require a proprietary controller to operate, and >Xenix 2.3.1 apparently *lost* its previous ability (demonstrated in 2.2) >to handle these drives [a late-night tech support hack mused about >not having an Emerald in-house to test the 2.3.1 drivers prior to release, >and placing Emerald on the list of supported drives under the "assumption" >that what worked correctly on 2.2 would work correctly on 2.3]. I am now up and running using an Emerald XNX 60-9000 tape drive using Xenix 2.3.1. The tape drive operates quite nicely - as nice as it did under 2.2 using Emeralds' tape driver. But I guess that it will take a while to dump 250Mb no matter what it is being dumped to... Earlier I reported that I was having trouble configuring the tape driver in Xenix - turned out that I was reading the manual instead of the screen. The mkdev command displays instructions to enter the tape controller I/O port in the form ####h (masm-ish) and the manual lists all lof the default I/O ports in the form 0x#### (c-ish). I kept entering the I/O port in the c-ish form - rather stupid of me... Anyway, after a bit of time on the phone with an SCO support person I got straightened out if not a bit embarrassed. -- Russ Kepler - Basis International SNAILMAIL: 5901 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 UUCP: {backboneishsite}!unmvax!bbx!russ PHONE: 505-345-5232
jbayer@ispi.UUCP (Jonathan Bayer) (02/16/89)
In article <3700025@eecs.nwu.edu> skrenta@eecs.nwu.edu (Richard Skrenta) writes: >I need to add some form of tape backup to my Xenix system. I need an >external model since all of the space inside my clone is full. I assume this >means that the drive will need its own controller, and won't be able to sap >off of the B: drive cable. > I suppose I should save this so I don't have to retype it. The first thing you want to do is to RTFM. The release notes mention specifically what tape drives are directly supported by Xenix. After that, you want to go out and pick one up. I recommend the Everex 60 meg cartridge drive. We use it here and for our customers. It works well, and the tapes are readable by any other system that uses QIC-24 format to read/write the tape. However, there are a lot of other tape drives that work just as well. JB -- Jonathan Bayer Beware: The light at the end of the Intelligent Software Products, Inc. tunnel may be an oncoming dragon 19 Virginia Ave. ...uunet!ispi!jbayer Rockville Centre, NY 11570 (516) 766-2867 jbayer@ispi.UUCP
davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) (02/17/89)
In article <3700025@eecs.nwu.edu> skrenta@eecs.nwu.edu (Richard Skrenta) writes: | It seems that most of the tape backup units out there were primarily designed | for DOS; some manufacturers even charge extra for the Xenix drivers. And | I've seen some horror stories about tape units posted here.... | | Does anyone know of a model that they can recommend? Any to stay away from? Some vendors really like to screw their customers. Xenix has included tape drivers for several years, and they seem to be better than most of the vendor supplied routines. As for brands: I have used both Archive and Wangtek, as sold by several vendors under OEM names and directly from the vendor. There is so little to choose between them that I won't make a recommendation. They all work well, and the 2.3.1 version of Xenix has a device driver which adds error correcting capability. There are also a few other brands, and some which are not marked as supported by SCO will still work, although you better not call them for support. -- bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) {uunet | philabs}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me
tyager@maxx.UUCP (Tom Yager) (02/19/89)
In article <13160@steinmetz.ge.com>, davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) writes: > In article <3700025@eecs.nwu.edu> skrenta@eecs.nwu.edu (Richard Skrenta) writes: > > | It seems that most of the tape backup units out there were primarily designed > | for DOS; some manufacturers even charge extra for the Xenix drivers. And > | I've seen some horror stories about tape units posted here.... > | > | Does anyone know of a model that they can recommend? Any to stay away from? > As for brands: I have used both Archive and Wangtek, as sold by > several vendors under OEM names and directly from the vendor. There is > so little to choose between them that I won't make a recommendation. > -- > bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) > {uunet | philabs}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen You're right--both of the makes you mentioned are solid products, but I think one particular drive stands out right now as the best in terms of price/ performance: the Archive ST600SS. It's a 125MB drive that uses DC600A-type tapes (about 30% cheaper than the 600XL tapes needed for 150MB units). Under 386/ix, it streams constantly, delivering a solid 5MB/minute backup speed. In my own tests, the drive held up to streaming the entire tape, beginning to end, stopping only to reverse the tape (about 1-3 seconds). Also, for those whose math isn't so hot, 125MB is actually 131,000,000+ bytes. I've tested it with Xenix 2.2 and 2.3, and with 386/ix 1.06 and 2.0. For Xenix 2.2 and 386/ix (either version), you need to call Archive for a driver disk. They'll ship it out, free, and they even Fed. Ex.'d me one when I was in a bind. The 386/ix drivers are for 1.06, but they work fine for 2.0 once you wedge its components into the right places. I had a little trouble figuring out how to install the driver, but once I did it ran without problems. Since it has its own DMA channel, the drive can write data while simultaneously reading from the hard disk. While this isn't unique, it does make for fast backups. The drive was on special when I picked it up, so it can probably be had for around $800, including the controller. The suggested list is pegged at over $1200, a much more realistic price, and it will presumably return to that level soon (if it hasn't already). I picked mine up through a distributor, but I'm sure a call to Archive would uncover the names of retailers carrying the drives and also answer any questions you might have. They were very friendly and helpful to me, and it is largely the staff's attitude that leads me to recommend the drive so highly. No, I'm not selling them, so please no flames about commercialism. It's just a product with which I'm very, very pleased, and thought I'd pass it along. Archive's number is (714) 641-1230. -- +--Tom Yager---------------------------------------------------------------+ | ARPA: tyager%maxx@m2c.m2c.org (preferred) -or- tyager@apollo.com | | I speak only for (and to) myself | +--"I like life; it's something to do."------------------------------------+