Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr!speck%cit-vlsi@CIT-VAX.ARPA From: speck%cit-vlsi@CIT-VAX.ARPA (Don Speck) Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Vax Unix tape problem Message-ID: <2469@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Sat, 26-Oct-85 19:16:38 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.2469 Posted: Sat Oct 26 19:16:38 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 29-Oct-85 00:33:34 EST Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA Lines: 20 Half a year ago, our TU77 went through the same symptoms: errors on about every tenth tape. Cleaning the heads thoroughly would get it going only for another ten tapes. Finally one night while cleaning the heads, I got out a mirror and flashlight to have a good look at the heads. They were pretty badly scored. And no wonder: in 4.5 years of daily dumps, some 15,000 miles of tape had ground off most of a millimeter. (Magtape is kinda like a rouge polishing belt). I told DEC that the heads were shot, and would they please replace them. Instead, they went through all the adjustments, replaced most of the boards, and had the VAX (our ARPAnet gateway) down half the day running diagnostics. Finally, they admitted defeat and ordered new heads. The drive has worked fine ever since, and more importantly, the Field Service guy and his boss learned to listen to me. Don Speck speck@cit-vax.arpa