🚀 go-pugleaf

IBM recently replaced the cartridge tape drive (old 6157-001, new 6157-002).
The old drive had a capacity of 60Mb, the new is 150Mb.  So far so good.
However, consider the following:

- The new drive can READ tapes written in the old drive (QIC-24).

- For those who still have systems old enough to write QIC-11 format,
  the new drive can still read these as well (as could the old drive).

- The new drive cannot write a tape which can be read in the old drive.

- It is not possible to put more than one cartridge tape drive in an RT.
  This means that the simple solution, keeping a system with one drive
  of each type installed, is not possible.

- IBM dropped the old tape drive from the pricelist when the new drive
  was introduced.

- The new drive will ONLY write on 12,500 bpi tapes.  The old drive will
  write on 10,000 bpi tapes, such as the 3M DC-300 XL/P.

My company is a VAR of RT/PC systems, and we have quite a few installed
at customer sites.  We *must* have a tape drive in our office that is
compatible with those systems.  But of course, since new systems will
have only the new tape drive installed, we *must* have a tape drive in
the office that is compatible with those systems.  So what do we do?
The only solution I have come up with so far is to have two systems in
the office, connected with ethernet, with an old drive on one and a new
drive on the other.  We are less than thrilled at the prospect of having
to keep a whole computer around just for the tape drive.

On a related subject, I posted a question quite some time ago about the
differences between cartridge tape drives; I have heard of 60Mb, 120Mb
and 150Mb capacities.  I got a *very* nice note back from someone at NCR,
including a long description of how their new systems deal with this.
The bottom line was that their systems recognize all three capacities
on the fly, so they can read anything, and they recognize the difference
between 10,000 bpi and 12,500 bpi tapes when writing, so they can write
tapes which are readable on old tape drives.  It sure would be nice if
IBM had done that...  Maybe the *real* solution is to switch to NCR.

jw