Xref: utzoo comp.sys.apollo:1283 comp.periphs:1148
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!njin!princeton!njsmu!klg
From: klg@njsmu.UUCP (Kenneth Goodwin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo,comp.periphs
Subject: Re: Large scale backups
Summary: Megatape
Keywords: backup video tape optical
Message-ID: <463@njsmu.UUCP>
Date: 18 Aug 88 15:23:06 GMT
References: <15278@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Organization: NJ State Medical Underwriters, Lawrenceville
Lines: 79

In article <15278@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>, dj@COGNET.UCLA.EDU writes:
> 
> We have a fairly new network of 40 Apollos running 9.7 (SR10 "Real Soon
> Now" :-).  The topic of system backups has become an issue for us.
> According some rough figuring, we have a worst case of 5 Gb of user space
> to back up, and are presently using about 2 Gb.  Obviously mag tapes
> aren't a nice way to go (20 tapes!?), so what is available?
> 
> 
> 					thanks,
> 					  dj
> 
Try Megatape Corporation  P.O. Box 317 Duarte Ca. 91010-0317
	(818) 357-9921
We have had four of their  MT750 tape drives here for a while
and they are very reliable.  Repairs are via  CDC field service
operations or return to factory.  MT750 sell for around $12,000 each.
Stores around  630 MB Formatted on a cartridge rated at 750MB unformatted.
Good error recovery in drive, I/O caches, all the nice bells and whistles.
Only problem with the  MT500, MT750 are transfer rates are 250 KB sustained.

Megatape also now has two new drives, a 1 GB per tape drive and
a 8MM Exabyte type as well, so they have a good selection.
Supports most available Popular tape interfaces as well. Ours are
running on Pyramids.

with the exception of the  8MM drive. all use a book size cartridge.
The cartridge costs about $100.00 each, after you use it 100 times
return it to factory for refurbishment, refurb costs under $50.00...
They also have a one year warranty on the cartridge.

Latest Models:

	MT 750     630 MB on a 750 MB cartridge
			Drive transfer rate 250 KB/sec.

			depending on system controller, interface rate
			to 4 MB/s (system to Megatape cache memory)

		120 IPS


	GT-88 8 mm cartridge  2 GB capacity, 1 MB Cache Pertec Interface
		150 IPS, 245 KB per second transfer rate


	MT 1500		Book cartridge as per MT750, 764 KB/sec transfer rate
			1.2 GB formatted capacity 512 KB cache
			Pertec or SCSI interfaces

Get the marketing hype for further details.

Oh,  of all the companies I have dealt with over the phone, they HAVE
the BEST customer support. Whatever you need, you get it. They really
stand behind their stuff.

reliability: Most problems we have had were with bad or out of alignment
switches in the load mechanism, quick fixes, one drive had a bad controller
board that took a while to track down. (we use CDC service here, and they
are still on a learning curve with the drive.... However Megatape
was very helpful with tracking down the problem. Our CDC guys
spend HOURS on the phone talking to them and they don't gripe once....)

One of our drives came in from the factory via air freight and van delivery
without the top foam padding in place (oops a factory goof) So this
drive was bounced around quite a bit. Megatape offered to swap it, but
as it looked okay, we installed it with the understanding that if it
was broken, we would get a new one with no trouble. The drive has worked
flawlessly from day one and that was over a year ago. (we got the
some of the first MT750's off the line. I understand that AT & T and
various Bell companies in the NJ area also have these drives.

The cartridges can not be read by any other NON-MEGATAPE drives
so that's a downside. But until 8 MM came along, no one that I know
of made anything with the kind of density that these drives have had
right along.

Ken Goodwin
NJ State Medical Underwriters, Inc.