egert@cs.Buffalo.EDU (christophe a egert) (04/02/91)
Does anyone out there know of a driver for either Xenix, ISC, or ESIX that would support the Jumbo DJ-10 Tape Backup (120M with comprssion Jumbo) If not, would anyone happen to know of where to find source for a general purpose tape backup, so that I could modify it to work with a system V setup. Thanks. - Chris egert@cs.buffalo.edu
merlyn9@cbnewsd.att.com (michael.t.sedwick) (04/03/91)
In article <68177@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> egert@cs.Buffalo.EDU (christophe a egert) writes: =>> =>> =>>Does anyone out there know of a driver for either Xenix, ISC, or ESIX =>>that would support the Jumbo DJ-10 Tape Backup (120M with comprssion Jumbo) =>> =>>If not, would anyone happen to know of where to find source for a general =>>purpose tape backup, so that I could modify it to work with a system V =>>setup. Thanks. =>> =>> - Chris =>> egert@cs.buffalo.edu => >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funney this should come up again! I was just preparing a nice litte "letter-to-the-Editor" for PC Mag. I am just winding down from my latest bout with Colorado Memory Systems (CMS) with this very topic. I have gone round and round with numerous differing persons at CMS, for over a year on just that; backup software for Sys V UNIX! How can a company sell a hardware product for $300.00 ($249.00 mail-order), then turn around & tell UNIX users they REQUIRE a $200.00 piece of software to access this device? Now I'll admit it might be nice( for $200 it better be GREAT!!), with a menu driven interface and all... BUT HEY, come on now THIS IS UNIX. cpio & tar don't need a fancy menu interface! Menu's are great for somethings (interactive) But I have otherthings to do then stand aroung idle while I back up my system!! It took them 6+ month to get this product out the door, from when it was said to be released (hummm, shade of big blue!!) and then they want 2/3 to 3/4 the price of the drive, just to make it work? Something sound wrong here to me. I just received the second package of requested information from them (correct info this time!). Of which it does say cpio & tar will work, but they don't 'recommend it'. A phone call later tells me they don't currently offer the software "unbundled", but they are working on a smaller package. Great, BUT THEY don't know when it will be available! hum... Also enclosed was a list of authorized dealers of their products. Ok talk is cheap, 8 calls later I had only ONE vendor who: a) would talk to me as an 'end-user' b) delt with their software products c) was not rude about the inquire d) actually knew CMS had a SYS V UNIX software package {most had a SCO XENIX package $79.00 mail-order} Ok, so I did find it mail-order... $169.00. I don't remember who this was off hand. (if you really want to know E-mail me for a reply) I have been waiting for this software since mid 1990, and now find I need to steal a few weeks worth of groceries from the family to do it. When I put together my '386 system last year I thought this was a great deal of a drive. Especially since I couldn't afford one of those "standard" drive (with enough capacity), which were running $700.00 to $900.00! Don't get me wrong here, for MS-DOS, this is a great deal. I love having the joy of backing up to a single media. I just would really love that same option under UNIX, at what I had thought was going to be a reasonable cost...(to an end-user) Some how I get the feeling I may have been better off with one of those 1/4" tape drive manufactures! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael T. Sedwick AT&T Computer Systems merlyn9@ihlpe.att.com Napperville, Il. (708) 979-1026
bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion) (04/04/91)
In article <1991Apr3.080955.21382@cbnewsd.att.com> merlyn9@cbnewsd.att.com (michael.t.sedwick) writes: > I have gone round and round with numerous differing persons at CMS, for over >a year on just that; backup software for Sys V UNIX! How can a company sell a >hardware product for $300.00 ($249.00 mail-order), then turn around & tell >UNIX users they REQUIRE a $200.00 piece of software to access this device? Easy. They have you by the "Johnsons" (see Police Academy for that phrase) On a similar problem with another tape vendor, I could not get new drivers for an upgrade of the OS, and was told they had not decided to do such. My flame here at least got a reply from tech support, and now I get conflicting reports. But what I now do is buy NOTHING that is not supported directly in the OS WITHOUT vendor supplied add-ons, UNLESS that manufacturer is targetting specifically toward a multi-user/Unix market places. If Unix is an aftermarket to a DOS based product you will always come last, if at all. -- Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill : bill@bilver.UUCP
leo@aai.com (04/07/91)
bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion) writes: >In article <1991Apr3.080955.21382@cbnewsd.att.com> merlyn9@cbnewsd.att.com (michael.t.sedwick) writes: > >> I have gone round and round with numerous differing persons at CMS, for over >>a year on just that; backup software for Sys V UNIX! How can a company sell a >>hardware product for $300.00 ($249.00 mail-order), then turn around & tell >>UNIX users they REQUIRE a $200.00 piece of software to access this device? >Easy. They have you by the "Johnsons" (see Police Academy for that phrase) >On a similar problem with another tape vendor, I could not get new drivers >for an upgrade of the OS, and was told they had not decided to do such. >My flame here at least got a reply from tech support, and now I get >conflicting reports. >But what I now do is buy NOTHING that is not supported directly in the OS >WITHOUT vendor supplied add-ons, UNLESS that manufacturer is targetting >specifically toward a multi-user/Unix market places. Yeah, I don't understand why people buy these CMS Jumbos. I guess they're taken in by the advertising. When I put my system together I wanted disk/tape reliability and support in the OS, so I went with the Adaptec 1542B and Archive 2150S and haven't had any trouble at all. Nice and fast too! Sure, I called CMS and asked about their product. But when I heard about the $200 driver required for unix and considered backing up at floppy rates, I just said NO! I bought a reconditioned Archive for $385 from Datek. Plus I can easily add additional disks, tapes, CD-ROM, DAT, etc. I also have a high degree of confidence that this combination will continue to be supported in future unix releases. -- Leo leo@aai.com leo%aai@uunet.uu.net ...uunet!aai!leo