Why is it so hard to use DAT drives with SCO OpenServer 5.0.2?
The DAT drive needs a DAT driver, not a QIC driver. The older SCO UNIX operating systems based on Release 3.2 version 4.2 embed a SCSI QIC tape driver during the installation. This default driver may work on some SCSI DAT drives, but you may have disastrous results. You must remove the default driver, and then add the new driver with mkdev tape in maintenance mode, specifying both the SCSI and DAT options (these are distinct choices). No severe problems have occurred on those older operating systems, but caution is strongly encouraged. For OpenServer 5.0x, it does not appear to be necessary to make such choices, even though the choices are there. At this time, it is unknown what the default driver is. Also, clean your tapes regularly and clean the DAT drives after every use of a new tape.
