Options for Installing a TF85 Drive - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

31 Oct 2009

Rob Jarratt [robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com] wrote:
...

 If there is anyone near Manchester in the UK with a TF drive
 then let me know. The TF drive itself is not that expensive
 so I may just get it anyway on the off-chance that a cheaper
 FKQSA or DSSI machine turns up. 
Is it not the case that the TZ85 (SCSI) and TF85 (DSSI) are the same
drive, jus twith a different interface? So a TZ85 may be as useful to
you in solving your problem.

As for solving your problem, a perennial complaint within DEC was
"I've somehow started scribbling half-way along a DLT tape but I
stopped quickly and I need to get to the half of the data beyond the
scribbling". I never saw anyone admit to having one of these problems
solved: even when there was a paying customer at the end of a
cheque book. The existence of special recovery firmware was firmly
denied - and I never saw even a hint that it might exist.

So I don't have any reason for believing that a TZ85/TF85 might be
any better or worse at reading your data than anything else that
can handle your DLT.

BTW iirc the TZ86 and TZ87 are (iirc) can read tapes from a TZ85. The
TZ87N lost some of the backwards compatibility (to lower costs).

Antonio