miller@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Jeff Miller) (06/23/91)
Hope this is the right newsgroup. I had an idea for a product I'd like to buy, but haven't seen it advertised, or even any trade news that someone is developing it. Have I just missed it? Anyone else want it? Any hardware developers listening? Scenario: My colleagues and I use a few dozen IBM-compatible PCs, all with access to a common network (though most use the network only intermittently, because of RAM overhead). Each of us generates data (on the order of 1 Mb per day) that we would like to save permanently (say, 10 years) and keep on line (or, at least, not too far off line) for at least 3 years. Desired Hardware: The data volume seems to justify some WORM-like technology, but it seems silly for each of us to pay for the WO part. Ideally, we could buy one $4000 write-once device and put it somewhere on the net, then each of us could buy a $500 Read-Many device for our own machines. Once a month or so, when my local hard disk filled up, I could transfer files across the net to the WO device, and then carry the media back and stick it in my local RM device. To save media costs, it would be ideal to be able to add onto a given piece of media --- say writing a 400 Mb platter 40 Mb at a time. I got the idea from CD ROMs, of course, since readers are now in the $500 range (Forget the software issue). But my impression is that CD ROM write-once devices are in the $50,000 range --- far too much for our budgets. WORMS are more reasonably priced, but still too much $$ to put one on every machine, and I've never seen a read-only WORM reader. If I've been clear about what I want (I hope), can anyone tell me if anything like this exists or is under development? Wouldn't it appeal to a lot of people working in groups? Thanks for listening. Jeff Miller jomiller@ucsd.edu
toerting@kentvax.mcs.kent.edu (Tim Oerting) (06/29/91)
In article <379@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> miller@cogsci.ucsd.EDU (Jeff Miller) writes: > >Scenario: My colleagues and I use a few dozen IBM-compatible PCs, >all with access to a common network (though most use the network >only intermittently, because of RAM overhead). Each of us generates >data (on the order of 1 Mb per day) that we would like to save >permanently (say, 10 years) and keep on line (or, at least, not too >far off line) for at least 3 years. > >Desired Hardware: The data volume seems to justify some WORM-like >technology, but it seems silly for each of us to pay for the WO part. >Ideally, we could buy one $4000 write-once device and put it somewhere >on the net, then each of us could buy a $500 Read-Many device for our >own machines. Once a month or so, when my local hard disk filled >up, I could transfer files across the net to the WO device, and then >carry the media back and stick it in my local RM device. To save >media costs, it would be ideal to be able to add onto a given >piece of media --- say writing a 400 Mb platter 40 Mb at a time. > >Jeff Miller >jomiller@ucsd.edu I think what you might be looking for is an erasable optical drive (they can be written to as many times as you wish). A while back I checked them out to see the cost and really it wasn't bad. A 650M (the Pinnacle Micro REO-650 to be exact) was quoted to me then (7 Jan 91) for $3995 with the 650MB Optical Disks going for $250 each. They also have a 1300MB machine and a 6500MB version. Those use multiple 650M disks (2) and (10). Tim Oerting ---- toerting@mcs.kent.edu