Date: Sat, 5 Aug 1995 15:22:54 -0600 (CDT) From: serges@umr.edu To: freebsd-questions@freefall.cdrom.com Subject: Time to get serious Message-ID: <199508052022.PAA17658@rocket.cc.umr.edu>
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Yesterday I suffered a catastrophic loss of a filesystem. It happened thanks to unclear (or in correct) instructions on creating new filesystems with FBSD 2.0.5. But thats beside the point. The point is that I have two tape backups that are phyically connected to my FreeBSD 2.0.5A box and I cant get either of them to function reliably with FBSD. This is ofcourse unfortunate since both systems are supposedly supported by FBSD. The first disappointment was finding out that my Conner QIC-80 drive was unusable as a backup device under FBSD. Using the ft interface, I was able write a tar file one time. However, I have not subsquently been able to repeat this fluke and therefore cant really rely on it for backups. Besides, the general consensus is that these drives are cheap and not very reliable. And that the interface is at best under development. Fine, so I bit the bullet with the Conner and moved on. I next tried to use my Archive 60M tape backup with the Emulex tape to SCSI adapter. I used an old Seagate ST-01 SCSI host adapter as the controller for this card. Since I use IDE hardrives, the ST-01 would be used only to control the tape drive. Initially, I was very optimistic about this set up since there appeared to be direct support for the ST-01 in FBSD. After, reading the installation instructions and removing the PROM I was sure that I would have success. Yet this was not to be. FBSD would just reset the SCSI bus and hung. I tried all kinds of permutations of switching SCSI ids, installing the SCSI bus delay and adding a SCSI harddrive just to make sure it wasnt my tape drive. All tests pointed to the ST-01 and/or FBSD as being the culprits of my difficulties. So now Im at my witts end. I need to know *what* tape backup system, both controller and drive, is USEABLE AND RELIABLE(!) under FBSD! Im sure there must be some backup solution that meets these requirements. I would like to find a low cost RELIABLE and COMPATIBLE SCSI adapter that will coexist with my IDE harddrives and support my Archive tape drive. However, at this point Im open to any and all suggestions. Im running FBSD 2.0.5A on a 486-50DX ISA box. Please, adivse me what I need to do to have a USEABLE and RELIABLE backup system under FreeBSD 2.0.5A. Thankyou. Serge.
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