Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 12:39:24 -1000 From: richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk) To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> Cc: bmcgloth@mail.vt.edu, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: DAT for sure! Message-ID: <199609022239.MAA01420@pegasus.com> In-Reply-To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> "Re: DAT for sure!" (Sep 3, 12:39am)
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} > } Dirt Cheap Drives seems to have decent prices for both of the above items: } > } $589 for the drive and $139 for the kit ($79 just the card). [...] } > } > You can get a 2Gig 8mm Exabyte drive for $299. They're faster and use } > less expensive tapes than DATs. And they work great with FreeBSD. } } You're kidding, right? You can get an EXB8x00 for $299? A 2G DDS-2 } tape here is about $13, as opposed to about $25 for a 112M } generic-brand 8mm data cart. } } I hope you're not recommending a refurbed or late-rev EXB8200 - they're } lethally bad. } No, honest, I'm not kidding (and I'm still alive!). I've used quite a few of these drives and I know others that have had good results with them too. Here's what my 2.1.5-STABLE system says: (aha0:2:0): "EXABYTE EXB-8200 252X" type 1 removable SCSI 1 No glitches, no messing around, it just works. I buy four-packs of Sony P6-120MPC Standard Grade video tapes for $14 at Costco. These are the tapes originally speced for these drives. If I need a tape in a hurry I can buy one at the corner drug store. Try finding a DAT tape locally in a pinch. Mine was refurbed. There are still some new ones available for a little more. The refurbed ones come with new heads and look completely new. My drive even reads tapes written on different drives more than 10 years ago, no problem. There were some problems with some Exabytes in the past, but that was a *long* time ago. And even back then they mostly worked. Many of the problems in the past were due to shakey device drivers -- but that's because Exabytes go way back. For reliable, high-capacity backup on a budget this is the only way to go -- my opinion. (I have no connection with any of these vendors or manufacturers, I'm just a very satisfied customer.) (I understand I'm not long for this world, so I'm off to live life to the fullest ... thanks for the warning!) Richard
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