Re: Qualstar Tape Library Experience

>
> My question is, does anyone have any comments, positve or negative, about
> the reliability/servicibilty and useability of the Qualstar Libraries.
>
>

First let me say that I don't use ADSM. We are thinking of replacing
our current Legato system with ADSM. That said, I run 2 Qualstar
46120 libraries. I've had them since 1995. I actually purchased
them right when the 46120 model first came out.

Back when I purchase them the standard 8mm tape drive was Exabyte
8505XL, which I used. When AIT1 came out I upgraded, and I'm thinking
about upgrading again to AIT2 drives (depends on if/what/how we do ADSM).
I've gone from 7gb tapes to 25gb, and probably will upgrade again to 50gb
tapes - all with the same basic libraries.

In the time I've had the libraries I've had absolutely no problems
with them. Tape drive - yes, the libraries - no. They have never
quit, failed, etc. I don't have maintenance one them and don't plan
to get it.

When I upgraded them from 8505XL to AIT1 I had to ship the libraries
back to Qualstar. One of them that I received back had problems
getting tapes into the drives - something was out of allignment or
something. I called support, talked to the guy, he shipped me a
completely different library that I had the next day. I shipped the
bad one back. I was impressed. They are a great engineering
company, but are lously marketers.

Hope this helps!

rick

On 6 Oct 99, at 16:23, Paul Sales wrote:
> We have been running the ADSM Server (now at 3.1.2.40) on AIX (now
> at 4.2.1) for almost 2 years. We have been using the IBM 3575 Tape Library,
> and have almost saturated it (Model L-32). We are looking at either another
> 3575 library, a 3494 Library or 'something else'. A sales rep was around
> the other day pushing the Qualstar 4000 Tape Library series. The price
> of the Qualstar Libraries seems to be about half that of a 3494 Library
> and the capacity almost double.
>
> My question is, does anyone have any comments, positve or negative, about
> the reliability/servicibilty and useability of the Qualstar Libraries.
>
> I did a search on this list for Qualstar and only found some references,
> back in Nov 98, to problems with the "label libv" command.
>
>
>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard L. Rhodes     e: rhodesr AT firstenergycorp DOT com
Richard L. Rhodes     e: rhodesr AT firstenergycorp DOT com
Ohio Edison Co.       p: 330-384-4904
                      f: 330-384-2514