> We have several Sony AIT3 drives, and previously used Sony AIT2 drives.
> Only had one problem (one drive refused to eject a tape, had to get
> the drive replaced under warranty and got the tape back undamaged).
> I've  never used Sony's changers, so I can't say anything about those
> (ours are Qualstars, never had a problem with them).

And though I haven't had any experience with AIT drives, I've been working 
with a Sony changer for some time.  Sony TSL-9000, 8-tape DDS-3 external.  
It's been chugging away faithfully, writing to tape every day, for at 
least 5 years now ('at least' because it was purchased and put in place 
two network admins ago, so I don't have a really clear idea exactly when).  
Glad I found Amanda for it, it had been working from a set of kludgey 
scripts for years previously...


In our own search, and with feedback from the list, my manager and I are 
thinking of LTO-2 for own own hardware upgrade.  We have eyes currently on 
IBM Ultrium tape drives, either the 3580 single-tape, or the 3581 
auto-loader (as there's '-only- a $4k difference between the two' in the 
words of my manager).  I'm kinda pushing for the auto-loader myself, so I 
can keep using Amanda (though I say it's 'for future capacity expansion 
options,' of course. ;) ).

-- 
Daniel Bentley - Network Technician, QSI Corporation (www.qsicorp.com)
"Exploits care not whence the clicks come..."