ok, let me give you some info about arvid (a device able to turn you vhs
vcr into a backup device). there are 4 sold model ov the board:
model speed price capacity on minimal harware config
(kb/s) (usd) a E180 tape req. to ran at full speed
1010 100 1.05gb 286/16
1020 200 35 2.1gb 386dx33 (this model desn't
work some motherboards)
1031 200 65 2.1gb 386dx33
1051 325 80 3.5gb 486dx100
1010 and 1020 model are no longer manufactured..
arvid requires a vhs vcr pal or secam, but don' work on ntsc
it controls the vcr via a led that you need to attach in the front of
your vcr. it can learn your remote contcol command just like a programble
remote control, and is shiped with a huje database of vcrs, so there is a
big chace that you will need only to pick your vcr model from the list and
it will work.. after you setup the ifra red control, the is a setup
procedure to mesure time that you vct take to start playing, stop, rewind,
etc..
there is a software for dos (like norton commander).
win95 and os2 software (for model 1031 and above)
i didn't checked versions other than dos, but the dos version is the best
backup shell i ever seen..
there is a tech doc (very low level because error correction and other
stuff is done by hardware) and a high level api for the dll under win/os2
i used all models exept 1051 which is prety new, and i didn't got it yet.
the 1010 had some troubles, i've got 2 or 3 failures with it, it wasn't
able to read archive directory from tape. and from time to time it issued
some commands to the ir control when it sould not. one time it vos the rec
command, so the tape was erased..
1020 didn't worked on some mother boards. and it's getting to hot then
running, so if you do not have a case with a good air flow you can expect
some system failures
1031 is realy something im happy with, exept the thing that i am not able
to write drivers for linux because i don't want to do reverse engeneering
on the win/os2 dll. i stil use it from dosemu :)
the software give you much more than any backup software i ever seen.
it have a norton commander like interface, the tape is presented like just
another drive, u can make dirs on it copy files this "f5", edit file
comments, etc.. and after you done all you need you push the execute
button, and here starts the real work with tape.. tape directories are
also stored on your hdd, so the soft doesn't need to read it from tape.
there is one thing that is worse in arvid than in other tape backup
systems - if you delete a file from tape you can't use the freed space
because arvid doesn't write one same place twice. of couse you can erace
the whole tape and reuse it. i had only few errors while restoring from
arvid even archives done 2-3 years ago. much much less than using floppy
interface tape drives.
you can contact this person in moscow for more info:
Mikel Lavrentyev, Fidonet 2:5020/35, Relcom mikel@phantom.ru
phone 7-095-916-1448
2nb.