🚀 go-pugleaf

DEC has announced yet another disk drive (YADD's?) for the vax.
The RP07 is a Winchester technology drive with 516MB capacity.
All the specs have been up'ed: 1.3 or 2.2 MB/sec transfer rate
(you have to have interleaved memory to get the higher rate);
23ms avg seek; 31.3ms avg access. Price is $38K ($48K for REP07).
The thing looks sort of like an old Maytag washer.

For backup (since its fixed media) there is a new tape drive,
the TU78 (not much prettier box). It is 1600/6250 bpi at 125 ips
and has auto load/thread capability. Price: $48K for the first,
and $25.5K for additional transports. The TEU78 is $52K.

I have heard that some site at BTL is testing these things.
Can anyone out there confirm that? If so, I would appreciate
hearing about their experiences. For those poor souls still in
the dark ages, VMS has apparently had drivers for the RP07 all along.
This may mean there is little software difference between them and
existing drives but I have no information on that.