[comp.sys.dec] TLZ04 reliability?

rjg@umnstat.stat.umn.edu (Robert J. Granvin) (02/16/91)

I'm curious in the reliability stories that people have with their
TLZ04 4mm tape units.  Specifically, I'm interested in what kind of
preventative maintenance is performed, and how often the drive is
cleaned.

I have a unit attached to a DECstation 3100 (Ultrix 4.0).  Network
backups are primarily handled by a Sun 3 using the tape device as a
remote device.  There are no problems here.

I seem to have a high rate of I/O errors, however.  It is clearly the
drive, because running the cleaning cassette once cures the problem
for a while.  The problem is that I am running the cassette much more
often than seems reasonable (drive usage of under 10 hours between
cleanings.)

Thoughts?  Comments?  Your own experiences?

Robert J. Granvin                           E/Mail: rjg@umnstat.stat.umn.edu
User Services Specialist                    AT&T:   +1 612 625 9224
School of Statistics
University of Minnesota