From: mark@taylor.uucp (Mark A. Davis) Subject: Re: 500MB Viper Archive Tape Drives (?) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1993 18:24:19 GMT
hal@cs.uga.edu (Hal N. Brooks) writes:
>In article <1993Jun29.122303.4870@taylor.uucp> mark@taylor.uucp (Mark A. Davis) writes:
>>drew@lethe.gts.org (Drew Sullivan) writes:
>>
>>>In article <1993Jun16.031115.11663@super.org> pcolsen@super.org (Peter C Olsen) writes:
>>>>I'm looking for help from someone who has used Viper Archive Tape
>>>>drives, particularly if someone with experience using DC6250 tapes.
>>>>
>>>>I just bought and installed a Viper Archive 2150 tape drive for use
>>>>under Linux. The person who sold it to me told me that it would run
>>>>reliably with 250MB tapes --- and that I could get about 500MB by
>>>>compressing my data. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Is
>>>>it reliable? Does it damage the drive?
>>>>
>>>>I'd appreciate any information.
>>
>>I had been using them for a long time with no problems. Although, Archive
>>does warn that repeated long term use of those tapes can impare the drive's
>>ability to write on 150MB (600ft) tapes. Something to do with head wear
>>patterns. I thought it was silly at first until I heard someone confirm it.
>>We still have no troubles reading or writing either.
>How or where did you get this warning from Archive?
Oh yeah, now I remember- you are right, the warings were on the tapes.
> I've seen this
>warning on inserts enclosed with 6250 tapes, but the (limited) documentation
>that came with my Viper included both DC6150 and DC6250 in their
>tape cartridge compatibility table, without a hint of a warning regarding
>a potential problem.
It depends on if the drive itself is a viper 150 or 250. The original poster,
though, did say he had a 150.
> The warning that comes with the tapes led me to
>believe that it only applied to drives which were only designed for use
>with a 6150, but for which the user had chosen to use the longer 6250.
Yes.
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