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From: dfh@scirtp.UUCP (David Hinnant)
Newsgroups: net.micro.att
Subject: 7300 floppy format questions
Message-ID: <622@scirtp.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Aug-86 03:09:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: scirtp.622
Posted: Sat Aug 16 03:09:38 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 19-Aug-86 02:40:14 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: SCI Systems, Research Triangle Park, NC
Lines: 28

The UNIX micros we manufacture (SCI 1000/2000/3000) read and write 9 sector
40 track floppies.  I would love to be able to write a tar or cpio format
floppy on our SCI machines and read it directly on the UNIX PC.  Right now 
I am creating MS-DOS files on our SCI machines and then reading them on the 
UNIX PC.  This works, but is a bother for several reasons I won't go into.  

When I try reading a tar format on a 40 track 9 sector floppy created
on our SCI machines via /dev/rfp020 on the UNIX PC, I get unexpected
errors (I forget the exact error just now).  I assume that /dev/rfp020
is the correct device for raw (un-volumized) access  because that is
what the MS-DOS read and write programs use.  Even a dd(1) from the
floppy gives me the same error.  Obviously it is possible to read an
un-iv(1)'ed floppy because MS-DOS read and write work.  Tar and cpio
work via /dev/rfp021 on floppies formatted by iv(1), but iv(1) is less 
than standard and is not on our SCI machines.

I think I should be able to read 9 sector 40 track floppies on the UNIX PC.
What do I need to do to directly access the floppy the way that MS-DOS
read and write do?  The manual pages on the 'general disk interface' are 
less than useful.  Can I format a  9 sector 40 track floppy with out
placing all the garbage iv(1) does on it?  Whatever happened to simplicity
and media exchangability?


-- 
				David Hinnant
				SCI Systems, Inc.
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