Not sure they are even available any more. I found a 9 track Overland from Sunstar but not from Overland. We never used them for FDR or DFDSS backups, just to get at old archived application data. The tapes were EBCDIC created and restored to the PC as EBCDIC, then binary FTP'ed up to the mainframe.
Rex -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of Radoslaw Skorupka Sent: Friday, June 4, 2021 8:37 AM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: [External] Re: access to 9-track reel tape drive OK, it can be connected to PC. SCSI? Still available, but not very up to date. Nevermind, you can have older PC. However... what next? What software to use? How to read mainframe datasets? I'm sure there are such tools, but I don't know any. Last, but not least: it would be easy to read text datasets, but things are getting harder with binary formats or ADRDSSU/FDR dumps. Or other tools. -- Radoslaw Skorupka Lodz, Poland W dniu 04.06.2021 o 15:16, Charles Mills pisze: > I used to have an Overland Tape drive. You don't hook it up Bus & Tag <g> you > hook it up to a PC. IIRC ours was SCSI-attached. It came with software, and > there are APIs -- I wrote some additional software (in-house use, quick and > dirty type stuff). You get the data off of the tape and then you send it off > wherever you want it. > > Charles > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On > Behalf Of Radoslaw Skorupka > Sent: Friday, June 4, 2021 1:32 AM > To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU > Subject: Re: [External] Re: access to 9-track reel tape drive > > Obviously it is possible to get (buy) 3420 compatible tape drive. > However it is not so cheap. Tape drive is connected using Bus & Tag > interface, so one would need to buy ESCON converter and FICON converter. > I just checked: > $8500 for tape drive > $130 for ESCON converted (new, Optica brand, but from some broker) > $50000 for FICON converter > > Of course the prices may vary significantly. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN The information contained in this message is confidential, protected from disclosure and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, distribution, copying, or any action taken or action omitted in reliance on it, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
