🚀 go-pugleaf

About a week ago I asked for information on WORM drives.  I also
wanted to know people's opinions concerning them and their use with
DECstations. 

Below are the responses I received.  Feel free to send me more info
and I will summarize again.

Thanks to all that responded.

Mark D. Smucker  ----  mds@iastate.edu

P.S. We are looking for an archival medium better than tape or R/W
optical of which we already have both.

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From: ajc@wse.dec.com

Mark,

  You can find listings for WORM drives from third parties in the TRI/ADD
Shippable Products Catalog    gatekeeper:pub/DEC/TriAdd/TAcatalog.ps.Z
that I've seen working. They include both straight WORM and the Pioneer
combination WORM/MO drive. Look for a company name TenX Technology. I hope
that this helps.

				Thanx,
				  AJ


      **********************************************************************
      * AJ Casamento			"The question is not whether or    *
      * Digital's TRI/ADD Program	 not the opinions are mine; but    *
      * 100 Hamilton Ave. UCO1-B	 rather, which of my personalities *
      * Palo Alto, CA 94301-1616	 do they belong to?"		   *
      * 415.853.6744							   *
      * ajc@decwrl.dec.com						   *
      **********************************************************************


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From: przemek@rrdstrad.nist.gov (Przemek Klosowski)

OOps, I did not keep the copy. I said that we are looking at stuff from Ten X 
company, they package other people's drives with their controller that makes
WORM look like a rewritable disk. If done right, it may be a win, since
it does not need drivers. We did not purchase it yet, and I wonder whether 
other people using it are happy with them
	przemek

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From: stryker@phy.ucsf.edu (Michael P Stryker)

We looked into it the past few months.  Conventional WORM drives are
now completely obsolete, and those who are stuck with them hate it.  If
you need to buy right now, the 5-1/4" rewritiable opticals are your
only choice, and DEC (if they give you a good deal ie 50% discount) or
Pinnacle are the most likely vendors.

After the next few months, everything will change:

After that time, Pinnacle (in Irvine, CA) and others will be coming out
with a CDROM writer for standard CDs.  The readrs are available now for
about $400 ($600 from DEC), the CDs are a very widespread standard
format, and when everyone can afford a writer (will be about $5000)
somewhere on a campus network, with readers on many machines, then this
new WORMy format will become the standard for backups, I should think.

--Michael Stryker

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From: bob@iastate.edu


Hi again Mark,
	Well, do you specifically need a WORM drive?  Or could you
settle for an erasable optical drive?  Yes, WORMS store more (~5 times)
but usually the cost/nonerasability factor is a consideration.  There
are many SCSI (small computer systems interface) Floptical drives on the
market currently.  They use a standard 3.5" floppy, and most drives are
compatible with eachother.  Each disk stores ~128MB o data, and is
entirely erasable/rewriteable.  They cost ~1500 currently, and if you
shop around (check out 800 numbers in any Mac mag) probably cheaper.
Also, disks run about $50 apiece, or so I am told.  Again, shopping will
probably save you a few bucks, but then again, you are most likely on
some research grant, and $$$ arent an issue! ;)  
	As for compatibility... I am 99.99% sure that some sort of SCSI
port either exists or some card/interface/doohickey-thingamabob exists
fairly inexpensively.  SCSI is pretty neat because it allows a bunch (up
to 7 on macs) of devices, ranging from hard drives to Bernoulli drives,
to floptical drives to cd-rom,etc , to be connected in a chain to one
port on the computer.
	Let me know if you have any questions, or need phone #'s or the
like.
			Always willing to help spend more of 
			our defecit-ridden University budget,
			and willing to look into accepting
			consulting fees,
					Bob

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Mark D. Smucker  ----   mds@iastate.edu