:-) Don Deese's Cpexpert is a competing product to SmartProduction.
Sounds interesting. I didn't know you were a IBMMAIN lurker. -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Don Deese Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 5:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Write Tape-Cardrige with a PC? At 07:52 AM 6/27/2005, you wrote: >On Mon, Jun 27, 2005 at 01:27:53PM +0200, Michael Knigge wrote: > > is it somehow possible to write "standard" Tape-Cardridges with a PC > > (running Linux or Windows or Hercules with somewhat-os) so the tape > > can be read with a mainframe running z/OS (3480 format)? Yes, you can do this without problems. I've done it for over 10 years, and this is one way that I distribute my CPExpert software (my software is distributed via ftp, CD, or cartridge). You can buy a 3480/3490 tape drive that attaches to a SCSI card in your PC (used 3480/3490 drives are available from a variety of companies, can be purchased on eBay, etc). The price normally is less than $3K, including SCSI card and software for your PC. The drives can optionally include ACL if you have multiple copies of the same software to distribute. I have two of these units on two separate PCs. I purchased my tape drives from COMCO (tapedrives.comco-inc.com). You can use software such as NovaExchange, which allows you to write the tape in about any format you wish (you can specify standard IBM labels/non-labeled, record size, block size, character format, and a variety of other options). NovaExchange came bundled with the tape drives I purchased. BTW: Both COMCO and NovaExchange provide absolutely outstanding customer support. I had a question about a jammed tape cartridge over 5 years after my purchase. Even though this was my error (a gummed label came off in the drive) and the drive was out of warranty, COMCO walked me through the process of disassembling/reassembling the drive front-piece, and later called back to make sure that I had been successful in freeing the cartridge. This is without my having a maintenance agreement with them, or any contractual requirement whatsoever on their part, and they said "no charge" when I asked the cost of their service! NovaExchange customer support was equally responsive when I had a problem with getting the software to use the ACL feature correctly. Regards, Don ****** Don Deese, Computer Management Sciences, Inc. Voice: (703) 922-7027 Fax: (703) 922-7305 http://www.cpexpert.org ****** -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.2/29 - Release Date: 6/27/2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
