*BSD News Article 38518


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From: olson@anchor.engr.sgi.com (Dave Olson)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Reading a 4mm tape made by a Sparc
Date: 28 Nov 1994 02:56:41 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
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eblood@pogonip.scs.unr.edu (Eric V. Blood) writes:
| Actually it was a compressed tape from the Sparc trying to be read
| by a drive that couldn't read compressed tapes.  Once I specified
| the lower density on the Sparc, everything worked out.  The question
| is, why does the compressed tape screw up the computer so bad? 

Firmware bugs on the tape drive.  The older Ardat 4320 drives have/had
this problem, although the latest firmware fixes it.  Other drive
vendors may have similar problems.
--

The most beautiful things in the world are              |   Dave Olson
those from which all excess weight has been             |   Silicon Graphics
removed.  -Henry Ford                                   |   olson@sgi.com