Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 20:35:51 -0800 From: "M.R.Murphy" <mrm@Mole.ORG> To: dgy@rtd.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 9 track tapes????? Message-ID: <199702170435.UAA24827@meerkat.mole.org>
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> From owner-freebsd-questions@freefall.freebsd.org Sun Feb 16 17:09:43 1997 > From: Don Yuniskis <dgy@rtd.com> > Subject: Re: 9 track tapes????? > To: dnelson@emsphone.com (Dan Nelson) > Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 17:54:26 -0700 (MST) > Cc: cmadison@tippy2.vnet.net, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > It seems that Dan Nelson said: > > In the last episode (Feb 16), Chris Madison said: > > > > > > Has anyone successfully used a 9 track tape with a FreeBSD box? > > > If so, I would LOVE to hear what HW was involved and how:-) > > > > 9-track tape drives work just fine, as long as you have SCSI ones. Old > > tape drives with the Pertec interface (might look like 2 ribbon-cable > > plugs next to each other) won't work, since there's no BSD driver for > > the interface cards. > > Um, well *I'm* running a Cipher F880 w/ Pertec interface here and > have been since 1.1-ish days. Unfortunately, I've not been able > to get any "publicly available" information on the characteristics > of the Pertec interface (I've already figured out how the controller > card I have works) and so I can't release my driver for public > consumption. :-( > > > Just treat them like regular tape drives, just a lot slower, bigger, > > louder, and with a lot less capacity :) > > Yes, amazing how the DLT that sits next to my 9 track puts it > to shame! But, of course, 1600BPI 1/2 inch tape still has several > appliaction domains where you're forced to comply if you want > to participate :-( Hopefully that will change in the near future... > > --don > I'm working on an Overland Data TC-50, TC-50M driver for FreeBSD, but it's a very back-burner activity. The TC-50M works whilst interfaced to a _real_ IBM 8MHz 80286 PC/AT with 2.5MB memory, 2 Seagate 106MB RLL drives. The old machine is running Microport System V/AT (and has been since 1986) and has an Overland Data driver. I have a Kennedy 800/1600bpi drive and a 1600/3200 drive from Qualstar. As you say, newer drives are so much faster and larger and cheaper for storage that there's not much reason for a driver for the old 9tr drives under FreeBSD. Except that it pleases me to watch them spin. Overland Data wouldn't supply any information at all on the interface cards. I wonder if I'll choose them for the next big buy of SCSI tape equipment at work? Heh :-) I can still read installation tapes from Version 6, Version 7, 2.8bsd, and 2.9bsd with the Kennedy drive. That pleases me, too. I also had a 500cps paper tape reader interfaced to the '286 by serial port. That was fun to watch, too. Only one paper tape left, though, and that's just heirloom. -- Mike Murphy mrm@Mole.ORG +1 619 598 5874 Better is the enemy of Good
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