Hello Wolf,

 WC> I have an ARCHIVE CORP. 'Python' Model 4326np tape 
 WC> drive at home , which contains and also is the "only" 
 WC> existing source of a small number of vital BBS programs 
 WC> for my (BBS) use. With other words I have to get some 
 WC> programs off the tape drive.

If the Tape Drive is a SCSI device, then you could try picking up the GTAK
package (the last version I saw was GTAK251,ZIP from Hobbes). In that package
is a driver that allows many tape device to be accessed using the GNU TAR
utility suite also included in GTAK, however because there are so many modes
of operating tape devices, you may have to try and find one that makes it
work. It supports many of the older drives around so if your drive is not
included in the "tested" list, as long as your device can answer to one of the 
low level command sets often used by SCSI devices, you should be able to get
it to work. The main problem will be seeing if your Tape S/W can see the drive 
using this driver...

I used GTAK for many years with an Archive Viper 2150 drive using 6250
catridges and it worked fine, even if I could not index into the tapes, at
least I could backup and restore AND do this from a Floppy boot to restore my
OS/2 Boot drive. What was more I could also read *nix TAR archives as well.

You may also like to check out the OS2HW Echo as well.

I hope this helps............pk.


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