tape streamers question

[Jonathan Bayer]

In article <271 at dcs.UUCP>, wnp at dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul) writes:
> In article <314 at belltec.UUCP> dar at belltec.UUCP (Dimitri Rotow) writes:
>  >Almost all streamers use the QIC-36 command interface.  The original QIC-36
>  >card was designed by Northern Telecom and put into mass production by Everex
>  >in their EV series.  Since then, numerous third parties (Wangtek, etc) are
>  >building "PC36" compatible streamer tape controllers.  The tape software
>  >most vendors use will work with all such cards (keeping in mind that any
>  >given driver is always vulnerable to changes in ROMs, PALS, and other
>  >individual design changes).
> 
> Would you care to comment on the REASON for the change of PALS on the Bell Tech-
> supplied EV-811-B controller, which in effect makes the use of Bell Tech's
> System V/AT tape driver impossible with a non-Bell Tech EV-811-B?
> 

Unfortunately, Bell Technologies is practicing copy protection on
Unix/Xenix.  By changing the PALS they ensure that only their software
will work with their board, and that their board will only work with
their software.  I found this out the hard way after SCO came out with
direct support of the QIC-36 boards.  I now have a customer who is stuck
with the Bell stuff, and for obvious reasons does not want to upgrade
the hardware.

BTW, Bell does have a very good streaming mode.  Depending on the
software they can stream several megs of data all at the same time,
while SCO can only stream 20 to 40 K at one time.  However, I don't know
how much of a speed increase it results in.



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