#Quarterback Tape Backup
6 messages in this thread
Recently received the latest upgrade to "QUARTERBACK". Also just installed a
tape backup unit.
Problem: the software will not recognize the hardware.
The tape unit is: Wangtek. Model 5150ES FAO1. Rev 20.
The Amiga computer recognizes the tape drive, but somehow the software does
not.
Any help – or advice as to how to proceed?
Regards, HILARY.
I don't have a Wangtek but I think that is a popular brand that does
normally work well with the Amiga.
Have you tried the "SCSI interrogator" in the Utilities menu? If you set
the right device driver name and unit number there, it will tell you what
it thinks it is connected to on the SCSI bus. You should be able to find
your Wangtek that way if Quarterback is going to be able to use it.
Also you should be able to find any Harddisks you have connected to the
same SCSI bus. If you cannot, it may be because you have a SCSI interface
card from a third party that uses a device driver with a name different
than "scsi.device". So you may need to flip through the device names
looking for the right driver. Also look through all the different unit
numbers to make sure the tape drive's unit number is set the way you
think.
If you can find your tape that way, then set the same device name and unit
number in the backup and restore requesters.
If that doesn't work, we'll need to know the whole nine yards as to which
computer you are using, which SCSI interface card, and the software levels
involved, Workbench level, Kickstart level, SCSI card proms revisions if
you know it, tell us as much as you can. Also tell us what else you have
on that SCSI bus and which devices are terminated.
//
\X/ Amiga or bust! Gary Bonnstetter, Bonnsoft
Thanks to you and Randy for your good comments.
After a day of "playing" with the installed Wangtek Backup drive, have come to
a perhaps early conclusion that it is the drive that is faulty – not the
software. The conclusions are based on the following……
Using QUARTERBACK (last revision). Identifies Drive OK. On tryiong to backup
from the HD, I have noticed the following….. If the backup is small, say
under 8-9 Megs, everything is fine. The drive records the data on track 1. of
the tape. It then verifies what's written and all is OK. If I try and backup
say 20 Megs, it duly records starting on track 1. Then instead of moving the
read/write head down to track 2., and recording (in reverse) that track, the
darn thing rewinds to the start of the tape, and tries to write from there.
Result is the "corrupted" sign board.
Again – pointing in the direction of mechanics – not software. If via the
software, I instruct the tape to erase. It goes into its act for about 5 to 6
minutes, then tells me "cannot erase tape".
Needless to say there is 250 Megs of room on the tape. Presume this is without
compressing any data.
Maybe it is a severe chill the drive got in transportation here. Thinking of
sending it back to the supplier.
Do you agree with my conclusions from the above rather bad description of what
is happening?
Regards, HILARY
Sounds to me like you have a SCSI termination problem. A friend of mine had
a similar problem with his tape backup drive and it turned out that his hard
drive was terminated and the tape drive was unterminated and further out on the
SCSI bus.
Make sure that you've got only the most distant devices from the host adapter
terminated and the problems should go away.
Lee Bosch
– via Whap!
I don't know the specifics of how this style of tape drive changes tracks
so I cannot say why your's is bad, but it does sound bad.
Have you tried using different tapes? Otherwise, as other's have said in
AmigaUser, try several small 8-9 Meg backups to one tape, it would be best
if these are different enough so you can identify them if you started a
restore. Turn compression off, its to slow for tapes unless it's hardware
compression, and set verify data after write on. Also turn off the auto
rewind of the tape after backup or restore.
The verify will slow you down some but Quarterback will automatically
check each backup right after it's written out. This way you will know
the tape is written correctly after each backup. The way you describe it
the verify should fail after the second or third backup. If not stop
after youe resolution
of the printout?
Rob.
In addition to the answer that Gerald just gave you 4000 owners with Commodore
SCSI controllers need to be aware that scsi.device is controlling the IDE bus
and the 2091 or 4091 controller have a device name of 2nd.scsi.device. If you
have any scsi drives with a RDB mounted on that controller Quarterback will
include it in the device list (though scsi.device will be first) and you can
just scroll to the right device. If there is no RDB device present on the scsi
bus you will need to type in the device name. This name is case sensitive and
all lower case.
Hope this helps.
Randy Brooks
Central Coast Software
A division of New Horizons Software, Inc.