Paveza, Gary wrote ('way back on June 22):

> I'm currently interested in knowing if any of you are using a 3480
> compatible tape drive.  A few years ago, we bought 4 StorageTek 3480
> Compatible drives with a 10 magazine autoloader, but since that time,
> they have been getting worse and worse.  As a matter of fact, at one
> point, one was taken in by HP for repairs (they sent it to StorageTek)
> and gave us a loaner to use in the meantime.  That drive is still at
> StorageTek over a year later, and we now have a loaner on the loaner,
> because it too failed.
>
> HP will not support these drives under our 4 hour response time, and
> this is getting to be unacceptable.
>
> Does anyone use other drives that are supported by HP?

We use a Philips TD3630 drive (single-ended SCSI drive configured as
ID=COMP3480 in SYSGEN) with a 14 mag autoloader that can read 3480 carts
and read/write 3490 carts. It isn't supported by HP (we have 24 x 7
support from Anacomp for it, I believe we got it used or refurbed or
something) but it's extremely reliable and we've only had a tech in here
? maybe twice in the last year to work on it. The only downside is that
we can't write 3480 format, only 3490. Let me know if you want
cost/vendor info and I'll see if I can dig it up.

HTH,
Patrick
--
Patrick Santucci
Technical Services Systems Programmer
KVI, a division of Seabury & Smith
Visit our site! http://www.kvi-ins.com
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