*BSD News Article 53811


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From: nate@trout.sri.MT.net (Nate Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware
Subject: Re: Tape backup speed FreeBSD v. Linux
Date: 31 Oct 1995 17:22:46 GMT
Organization: SRI Intl. - Montana Operations
Lines: 38
Message-ID: <475m16$fuu@helena.MT.net>
References: <1995Oct30.090118.28117@state.systems.sa.gov.au>
Reply-To: "Nate Williams" <nate@sneezy.sri.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: trout.sri.mt.net
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:8052 comp.os.linux.hardware:19905

In article <1995Oct30.090118.28117@state.systems.sa.gov.au>,
 <chdemgt@state.systems.sa.gov.au> wrote:
>This is a new Tandberg 1200S TDC4120 QIC-1000 tape drive.  Being decoded, that
>is a SCSI-2 1.2 GB DC-600 quarter-inch cassette drive.  It was bought for a 
>FreeBSD system but the performance was disappointing.  The computer (a 
>486DX4/100 with a Seagate SCSI-2 hard disk drive) also has a small Linux
>partition which can be booted with the help of a floppy disk.  Here are the
>data rates on backup:
>
>Claimed by Tandberg in the spec: 12/18 MB/min
>FreeBSD 951020 SNAP:		 9.1 MB/min
>Linux 1.2.x (forget exactly):    15.4 MB/min

How are you measing the data rates?

Try:

dd if=/dev/null of=/dev/rst0 bs=1k count=100

This is a good test to see how fast the device is, and removes any
problems you may have with an overloaded controller, different layout of
the FS, etc..


>The something was wrong could be detected at once by ear.  On FreeBSD the tape
>seems to run forward for 1.5 sec and then back for 1.5 sec.

This means that somehow the tape drive isn't getting data fast enough to
stream with FreeBSD, and not a problem with the tape device driver.



Nate
-- 
nate@sneezy.sri.com    | Research Engineer, SRI Intl. - Montana Operations
nate@trout.sri.MT.net  | Loving life in God's country, the great state of
work #: (406) 449-7662 | Montana.  Wanna go fly fishing?  I don't charge or
home #: (406) 443-7063 | feed you, but I do know the area pretty well.