Fri, Jan 25, 2002 at 01:37:20PM -0500, Ken Hornstein:
> >	Looking at replacing a DDS3 backup for a NetBSD/i386 box.
> >	Want around 50GB+ per tape.
> >
> >	On-Stream produce 50Gb Internal/External SCSI units for 375/645 GBP.
> >	Has anyone had any experience of these?
> >
> >	Another option could be an 8000S 40/80GB DLT, but they're a touch
> >	pricy...
> 
> A few years ago I asked for tape drive recommendations, because I had
> bad experience with Exabyte and DAT.  A lot of people responded, and
> everyone who had a DLT said, "They're expensive, but they're worth it".
> 
> I bought a open-box 2000 DLT drive, and I use it every week to back up
> everything.  It's been rock-solid.  I've never heard anyone say anything bad
> about DLT (other than the price).

amen, on both counts.

i had one problem i feel like sharing, b/c is cost me a drive head.
a tape snapped while loaded, so the tape leader (~1.5 foot strip of
plastic that grabs the tape end of the tape when loaded and drags it
through past the head and around the spindle) and some amount of tape
where left in the drive.  you have to take the cover off and run the
leader back through its path.

if you ever have to do this, DO NOT insert the leader vertically past
the head.  guide it past the head horizontally along the path and tape
"rollers", doing your best to keep it away from the face of the head.

dropping it through vertically is definitely the easiest, but buggers
the head.  the manual that came with mine said nothing about this, nor
did the pdf i grabbed off quantum's site.

> Just as a bit of trivia: my wife is "encouraging" me to clean up the
> computer room, and and I had a bunch of QIC-150 tapes laying around
> that were old backups and other such stuff from 1993.  I read them all
> off using a borrowed QIC-150 drive, and I didn't encounter a single
> error.  But I doubt you're going to get 50GB/tape out of them :-)
> 
> --Ken