🚀 go-pugleaf

Dr. Albert Hybl (hybl@umbc.edu) wrote:
: Can someone familiar with HP DAT drives please explain the difference
: between the models.

Can't help you here.

: How do 4mm DAT drives compare with 8mm models (like Exabyte)?

As I understand it, Exabyte holds the leash (patent) on the 8mm tape
transport technology, and thus pretty much owns the 8mm data market.
To the best of my knowledge all 8mm data drives are made by Exabyte.

Contrast 4mm technology, which is not owned by Exabyte, thus there's
more competition and thus costs are lower.

Media costs are pretty inexpensive too, a 90 meter tape is usually
only about $9-$10 at someplace like MicroCenter.  Not sure what the
8mm prices are as I only use 4mm. ;-)

: How reliable are these devices?

I own two older HP 4mm models and have been using one for several
years, the other about 6 months.  Both have worked flawlessly.

: Does the Linux kernel support a device driver for these DAT drives?

Yes, it's just the standard SCSI tape driver.

: What Linux compatible software can be used for creating backups?

Anything that can write to the SCSI tape device driver.  cpio, tar,
dd, etc.

-- 
+----------------+-------------------------+---------------------------------+
| Michael Faurot | mfaurot@phzzzt.atww.org | I programmed COBOL in college.  |
| ------- ------ | ------- ------ ---- --- | But I never compiled . . . :-)  |
+----------------+-------------------------+---------------------------------+