From: rwb114@cac.psu.edu (Robert W. Brewer) Subject: Tape Drives: Suggestions [summary] Date: 14 Aug 1993 03:45:52 GMT
A few days I posted a request for suggestions on tape drives
for use under Linux. Here are the responses I received
(unfortunately there were only two).
I'll just quote their responses directly since they are short:
#1:
I'm running a Wangtek 5150 ES (150/250 MB) via an Adaptec 1542B.
My disks and a CD-ROM are SCSI, too. I backup my Linux and DOS
partitions with a speed of 6MByte / minute under Linux 0.99 pl6.
Germany.EU.net nearby in Dortmund transferred part of their software
to two 250 MB tapes which I could easily read. And I have read an old
DC-600 archive.
Of course, the Adaptec is not a cheap SCSI controller, but consider
buying it or the EISA version now for the next disk(s) (SCSI for
performance and other reasons). If you want to have _only_ slow devices
on the SCSI bus, any cheap but reliable controller will do.
#2:
You can either go for SCSI, or shop around for a used QIC-02 tape, I've
picked up Wangtek 5150's with controllers for as little as $130, they'll
do 250mb uncompressed, and a lot more if you compress. They will use
either 6150 (150mb) tapes or 6250 (250mb) tapes. I've used both, and
the only problem with SCSI is you'll have to pick up a host adapter,
that will normally make the SCSI solution a bit more expensive.
[end responses]
-Rob