Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!uwvax!astroatc!vidiot!brown
From: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Floppy formats under 386/ix
Message-ID: <581@vidiot.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jul 90 19:53:01 GMT
References: <830@mwtech.UUCP>
Reply-To: brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot)
Organization: Vidiot's Hangout
Lines: 36

In article <830@mwtech.UUCP> martin@mwtech.UUCP (Martin Weitzel) writes:
<As I understand, the `official' manuals for 386/ix 2.0.2 are
<the ones I can buy from AT&T or Prentice Hall. The "UNIX System
<V/386 System Administrator's Reference Manual" specifies in
<FD(7) the names for floppy disk devices.
<
<According to the list given there the name "/dev/rdsk/f05qt" means
<`5-1/4", 720 KB'. But if I check out the device-number pair, I find
<that this name rather belongs to 3-1/2", 1.44 MB.
<
<Needless to say (and as I knew for long), I can't use 5-1/4", 720 KB
<floppies on 386/ix. Now my questions:
<
<1) Which is wrong - the floppy driver of 386/ix or the manuals?
<
<2) Will 5-1/4", 720 KB Floppies be supported in Release 2.2
<   (Note: This format is one of the "standard exchange formats"
<    of X/Open.)

Wait-a-minute.  I must be missing something here.  The IBM compatable PC
world has never supported 5-1/4" 720K floppies.  It has only been 160K,
single-sided; 320K double-sided and finally 360K double-sided.  Then the
high density 5-1/4" drive came along and we got 1.2MB.

The 720K came along with the first 3.5" floppy drive.  Then it got doubled
to 1.44MB.

You can get 720K on a 5-1/4" drive when you use it in 360K mode and single
step, using all of the tracks of the HD drive.

I wouldn't personally want to use any 720K 5-1/4" disks as they wouldn't
be standard.
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