Re: tape drive compatibility

[Neil Palmer <NeilP@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The 30GB QIC's can not write to the Magnus 2.5 tapes (also known as 
DC9250) but they can read them.  I think some manufacturers started 
referring to these tapes as SLR5-2.5GB.  The "M" in Magnus is not related 
to the "M" in MLR. 

You probably wouldn't want to continue heavy writing usage on the older 
tapes even if you could as it will lead to premature head wear, and is 
much slower than writing on the newer tapes.  The SLR100-5GB tape is a 
good cost effective choice for backups that don't need a full 30GB tape 
and will write at the full 4M/sec speed.  The QIC2GB format is only read 
at 300K/sec, the QIC2DC format at 600K/sec.

You will be able to write the DC5010 format on the older MLR1-13GB tapes 
(again to cause confusion, some manufaturers, Imation being one of them, 
started relabelling these tapes with the "compressed capacity", as 
MLR1-26GB, then later changed MLR to SLR),  You can also read/write to the 
16/32GB tapes (which replaced the 13/26GB tapes) and the MLR3-25GB (again, 
sometimes referred to as MLR2-50GB to help confuse you with the 50/100GB 
QIC tapes - and again sometimes named as SLR instead of MLR).

PS - most of the newer Imation QIC tapes include a tape compatibility 
chart in the tape box.

...Neil




"Jim Franz" <franz400@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
2004/03/17 15:05



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Subject
tape drive compatibility






I have the ibm pdf chart created 7/02 on tape drive compatibility.

In the 2.0 and 2.5 gig tape columns,  I'm not clear on difference
between SLR and MLR1 tapes. I have tapes labelled "Magnus"
and on same label "SLR". Am converting to SLR60 drive
on new model 800 and trying to figure which tape cartridges
are Read Only, or not usable, and which are Read/Write.
tia
jim