Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cbmvax!bbaker
From: bbaker@cbmvax.commodore.com (Bob Baker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Kronos tape drive(r)
Message-ID: <10755@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 10 Apr 90 18:50:17 GMT
References: <1377@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca>
Reply-To: bbaker@cbmvax (Bob Baker)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 26

I tried using an Archive tape with the C Ltd interface and drivers
several years ago with no success. I even shipped my drive to them
in order for them to try and provide support, again with no success.
The bottom line at that time was that they seemed incapable of 
understanding soft errors and retries on tape drives and their software
would always abort when either was encountered. 

For their own tape driver, they played games in software to keep the 
tape streaming... like writing four copies of each block on tape to
keep the tape from stopping (thus cutting capacity to 25%).

I've worked with tape drivers and related code before and it shouldn't
be all that hard to implement something on the Amiga. In my case, we 
were implementing a very simple file system that would allow booting
the operating system and/or diagnostic facilities from tape. We simply
added a header block at the front of each file that contained the
filename and other required info (load address, length, etc.) and 
wrote a filemake at the end of each file. Searching for a file simple 
meant reading the header block and comparing the filemane. If not 
correct, perform an forward space file to position at the next file. 
Very simple but effective and easy to implement. 

I'd really love to get my Archive working on the Amiga. If anyone has
code already started they need help with let me know.

-Bob