🚀 go-pugleaf

>On Mon, 06 Jul 98 11:06:36 GMT, David@longley.demon.co.uk
	(David Longley) wrote:
>>Are there drivers for QIC 6150, etc based tape drives using PC-02
>>and PC-36 controllers? If so, where?

In article <35a604ab.4297057@netbsd.haeb.demon.org>
	haeb@pc60.demon.co.uk writes:
>  Unless there is a pressing need to read old tapes I would suggest
>that these units should be binned.

I am distressed at how freely you suggest abandoning perfectly
functional equipment.  Unix and Linux never dropped their
drivers for the older interfaces (QIC, even Solaris still had drivers
for the SCSI to ESDI converters used to use the old disks on newer machines).
The problem is the way most non-Unix backup systems inextricibly linked the
device driver to the tape format whereas with Unix the device drivers is
entirely separate from the program (well, except for specific IOCTLs).

I have SCSI interfaced QIC drives, so PHYSICALLY reading old tapes is possible.
The issues for folks like me are usually
1) I am setting up PCs for friends and want to include a backup device.
   I have the QIC-02 and -36 cards and drives on hand and could include them
   for FREE if there were software for Windoze.
2) try to read old tapes.  I can read the bits off the tape, but what of the
   format that's usually backup program specific and never documented?
-- 
Jeffrey Jonas
jeffj@panix(dot)com
The original Dr. JCL and Mr .hide