From: fmt@mbf.UUCP (Mike Trimberger)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin
Subject: Re: EXABYTE Tape costs
Summary: caveat emptor
Date: 2 Oct 92 19:42:03 GMT
Organization: MAI Systems Corp.

----- News saved at 2 Oct 92 19:39:35 GMT
In article <1992Oct1.134217.6017@sci34hub.sci.com> gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) writes:
>In article <1992Sep30.135241.6977@terminator.cc.umich.edu> metzler@pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu (Chris Metzler) writes:
>|Here at UM, the standard operating procedure for buying Exabyte 8mm tapes
>|is to get them from University Stores.  University Stores, however, charges
>|$22 each for them.  Is this reasonable, or ridiculous?  If it is ridiculous,
>|can someone pass along a mail-order source from whom they can be obtained
>!more cheaply?  $22 a tape seems like a lot...

>When I bought some (direct from Exabyte), they were $35 each. 

>Most people stop by the local video store, and pick up name-brand tapes
>(not data certified). Those seem to work well; at least, I've never heard
>of any problems with them. 

I have heard of problems when running Video-grade tapes instead of Data-
grade tapes.  On the first few passes through the tape, there are very
few problems encountered.  But as the tape wears (and _ALL_ tape wears)
during normal use, there will begin to be dropouts on the tape.  Here,
we have even been able to wear-out Data-tapes from Exabyte but I don't
have any records of how often these were used.

For your own peace-of-mind, I would only use data-grade tapes.  There
are other brands now other than Exabyte but they all are more expensive
than the video tapes.  And yes, as described previously in these
hallowed halls of Usenet, there is a manufacturing difference in both
the case and the tape itself between Video- and Data-grade tapes.  

If you don't need the entire capacity of the tape, Exabyte does (or did)
sell shorter versions of the cartridges.  I have seen 256K, 512K and 
1024K as well as the standard 2048K cartridge.

-- 
F. Michael Trimberger 					   MAI Systems Corp.
 fmt%mbf.uucp@ics.uci.edu 				   14192 Franklin Ave
or: {ucivax,uunet!ccicpg,sequent}!mbf!fmt   		   Tustin, Ca 92680
[system administrator in training - sink or swim method]   (714) 730-2934
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin,comp.unix.sun.admin
Subject: Re: EXABYTE Tape costs
Summary: caveat emptor
Followup-To: comp.unix.admin
Distribution: world
Organization:  MAI Systems Corp.

In article <1992Oct1.134217.6017@sci34hub.sci.com> gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) writes:
>In article <1992Sep30.135241.6977@terminator.cc.umich.edu> metzler@pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu (Chris Metzler) writes:
>|Here at UM, the standard operating procedure for buying Exabyte 8mm tapes
>|is to get them from University Stores.  University Stores, however, charges
>|$22 each for them.  Is this reasonable, or ridiculous?  If it is ridiculous,
>|can someone pass along a mail-order source from whom they can be obtained
>!more cheaply?  $22 a tape seems like a lot...

>When I bought some (direct from Exabyte), they were $35 each. 

>Most people stop by the local video store, and pick up name-brand tapes
>(not data certified). Those seem to work well; at least, I've never heard
>of any problems with them. 

I have heard of problems when running Video-grade tapes instead of Data-
grade tapes.  On the first few passes through the tape, there are very
few problems encountered.  But as the tape wears (and _ALL_ tape wears)
during normal use, there will begin to be dropouts on the tape.  Here,
we have even been able to wear-out Data-tapes from Exabyte but I don't
have any records of how often these were used.

For your own peace-of-mind, I would only use data-grade tapes.  There
are other brands now other than Exabyte but they all are more expensive
than the video tapes.  And yes, as described previously in these
hallowed halls of Usenet, there is a manufacturing difference in both
the case and the tape itself between Video- and Data-grade tapes.  

If you don't need the entire capacity of the tape, Exabyte does (or did)
sell shorter versions of the cartridges.  I have seen 256K, 512K and 
1024K as well as the standard 2048K cartridge.

-- 
F. Michael Trimberger 					   MAI Systems Corp.
 fmt%mbf.uucp@ics.uci.edu 				   14192 Franklin Ave
or: {ucivax,uunet!ccicpg,sequent}!mbf!fmt   		   Tustin, Ca 92680
[system administrator in training - sink or swim method]   (714) 730-2934
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin