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From: Don Yuniskis <dgy@rtd.com>
Message-Id: <199702170054.RAA21252@seagull.rtd.com>
Subject: Re: 9 track tapes?????
To: dnelson@emsphone.com (Dan Nelson)
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 17:54:26 -0700 (MST)
Cc: cmadison@tippy2.vnet.net, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <19970216180335.11208@dan.emsphone.com> from "Dan Nelson" at Feb 16, 97 06:03:35 pm
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It seems that Dan Nelson said:
> In the last episode (Feb 16), Chris Madison said:
> > 
> > Has anyone successfully used a 9 track tape with a FreeBSD box?  
> > If so, I would LOVE to hear what HW was involved and how:-)
> 
> 9-track tape drives work just fine, as long as you have SCSI ones.  Old
> tape drives with the Pertec interface (might look like 2 ribbon-cable
> plugs next to each other) won't work, since there's no BSD driver for
> the interface cards.

Um, well *I'm* running a Cipher F880 w/ Pertec interface here and
have been since 1.1-ish days.  Unfortunately, I've not been able
to get any "publicly available" information on the characteristics
of the Pertec interface (I've already figured out how the controller
card I have works) and so I can't release my driver for public
consumption.  :-(

> Just treat them like regular tape drives, just a lot slower, bigger,
> louder, and with a lot less capacity :)

Yes, amazing how the DLT that sits next to my 9 track puts it
to shame!  But, of course, 1600BPI 1/2 inch tape still has several
appliaction domains where you're forced to comply if you want
to participate  :-(  Hopefully that will change in the near future...

--don