8 Oct
2001
8 Oct
'01
1:31 a.m.
Chuck McManis wrote:
At 10:22 AM 10/7/01 -0600, you wrote:
Jerome Fine replies:
Of course, IF you want to use the TK50-GA as a backup/exchange device for
use with a PDP-11 emulator on the PC system, that is another matter. However,
I suggest that you consider reason:
4) The TK50 drive (used in both a TK50-GA and it is the TK50-AA) is probably
the slowest tape drive around (unless you include the TU-58).
As an exchange media for off-site use less than a few times a year and for very
small volumes of data (less than 100 MBytes - even a single Zip cartridge can
hold 100 MBytes and is MUCH faster) AND for older software systems like
the PDP-11 and even a uVAX II, the TK50-GA might be considered reasonable.
However, when used for backup purposes more than a few times a year, I doubt
that many people would consider it a reasonable solution. While the tape WRITE
speed might be just barely sufficient if the software can keep the drive streaming,
if you ever attempt to do a VERIFY (generally useful to be sure that the tape can
be read back - otherwise, depending on a backup is questionable), you may find
that is takes too long. I did just once and quit before it was even half finished.
I also gave up on using the TK50 as a backup drive even with a PDP-11 under
RT-11.
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine
I own a pair of DEC TK50-GA external SCSI tape
drives which I'd like to
use as storage on my PC (Windows 98).
Can anyone tell me:
1. if this is possible
2. if possible, what hardware/software is required
3. source(s) of required hardware/software
Kevin Wright
Email: <mailto:callwright@earthlink.net>callwright@earthlink.net
1) Yes.
2) You need a SCSI-1 controller (like the Adaptec AHA-15xx series). No
particular software is needed (The Adaptec EZSCSI software will make it
show up as a tape drive to windows backup)
3) Ebay, the local surplus PC shop, ham fests, boot sales, asking around.
However, why would you want to do this? The tape is only capable of
recording 95MB/taps. It is notoriously prone to "eating" tapes, and the
minimum disk size for Win98 is 2GB (which would take about 24 tapes to back
up)
Now, it occurred to me that you may have thought "ohhh, DLT drive, 10 to 20
GB per tape." and if that was the case I hate to disappoint you. You'd
would need to find a TZ89 rather than a TZ85.