HP OpenVMS Systems

OpenVMS, ATAPI/IDE, and tapes? (QIC)

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The Question is:

 
Does VMS 7.1 support a tapedrive with QIC 157 standard?
If not, Does 7.2 support this?
 

The Answer is :

 
  QIC-157 is an interface specification for ATAPI/IDE-based Quarter
  Inch (QIC) tape drives.
 
  The OpenVMS Wizard is unaware of any ATAPI/IDE peripheral support
  (disks, tapes, or otherwise) for VAX systems, though third-party
  options might exist.
 
  OpenVMS typically operates with various SCSI-based tape drives and
  other SCSI peripherals, including QIC, DDS, DLT, 9-track 1600/6250
  BPI, and other tapes.  (In the case of QIC tapes, also assuming that
  the device supports variable block mode operations.)
 
  As for SCSI QIC tape drives, Tru64 UNIX interchange with OpenVMS via
  QIC is most common with the ltf utility.
 
  The officially supported QIC drives are in the TZK1x family -- these
  are known to work.  These devices are obviously SCSI, not ATAPI/IDE.
 
  The OpenVMS Alpha ATAPI (IDE) interface is the DQDRIVER, and this
  device driver is not currently configured as a class and port driver.
  This means that any attempt to connect tapes will end up using at least
  some disk-derived semantics, and there is currently no easy way to
  connect a tape-oriented class driver onto an ATAPI/IDE port driver.
  While nothing has been done to specifically preclude operations of
  tapes, no testing and no support presently exists for ATAPI tapes.
 

  

     

     
answer written or last revised on ( 28-JAN-2000 )
     
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