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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!chi-news.cic.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in1.uu.net!news.sa.gov.au!state.systems.sa.gov.au!chdemgt From: chdemgt@state.systems.sa.gov.au Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware Subject: Tape backup speed FreeBSD v. Linux Message-ID: <1995Oct30.090118.28117@state.systems.sa.gov.au> Date: 30 Oct 95 09:01:18 +0930 Organization: Southern Systems, South Australia Lines: 18 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:8113 comp.os.linux.hardware:20024 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 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 continues without intermission during the backup. On Linux the tape seems to run forwards for long periods of time, very occasionally reversing once. Michael Talbot-Wilson