Subject: Re: DAT/DDS drives
To: Steve Revilak <revilak@umbsky.cc.umb.edu>
From: Allen Briggs <briggs@canolog.ninthwonder.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 07/31/1998 23:36:51
> I'm debating the purchase of a DDS-2 drive, looking at a model from APS.
> (Need a better backup solution).  It looks like this would be supported
> under NetBSD (supports most SCSI devices).  Am I going to be lucky enough
> to kill two birds with one stone?  Any 'problem' DDS mechanisms to be aware
> of?

It's not a DDS-2, but I've been happy with my Exabyte 8700LT 8mm drive
(running on a NetBSD/i386 machine).  I've found the 120m tapes for about
$4ea (Maxell from Buycomp, LLC).  I don't know what your drive and media
costs are for the DDS-2 drive, but do factor in the media.  A friend of
mine inherited a couple of Sun tape drives that are really nifty, but
the data cartridges are over $100 each (for 2 or 4 GB).  I think Dirt
Cheap Drives also deals with Macintosh systems.

I don't foresee any problems with any DDS-2 drive under NetBSD, although
the mac SCSI drivers haven't seen tapes too much...  I haven't seen any
DDS-2 tape drives, myself, so I can't tell you anything about them.
Sorry.

-allen

-- 
                    Allen Briggs - briggs@ninthwonder.com