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From: minow@mountn.dec.com (Martin Minow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: SCSI help answering some common questions
Summary: Lot of work
Keywords: SCSI
Message-ID: <1898@mountn.dec.com>
Date: 4 Sep 90 15:02:41 GMT
References: <976@beguine.UUCP>
Reply-To: minow@bolt.enet.dec.com (Martin Minow)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 28

In article <976@beguine.UUCP> Eliot.Henry@samba.acs.unc.edu (BBS Account)
asks about programming "raw" scsi commands.

If you want to call the Scsi Manager directly, you will need at least
the following documents:

-- Inside Mac V4 and V5 for the Scsi Manager documentation.
-- Ansi SCSI-II draft specification (moderately expensive, order from
   Global Documents).  This is a tough-reading but essential reference
   to scsi devices.  (The spec is very well done.)
-- The hardware/firmware manuals for the devices you need to access.
-- (Recommended) The SEdit package in one of the developer's disk -- you
   should read the documentation for some important hints.
-- (Recommended when trouble strikes): A scsi bus analyser.

You call the Scsi Manager by providing the following information:

-- the bus ID of the device you need to access.
-- the SCSI command block (see the spec/device manual for the format).
-- if the command does a data transfer (read or write), you also need
   a transfer information block to describe the data buffer.

Eliot's specific need is to erase disks to "government standards."  I would
recommend that he use one of the commercially available products that were
written specifically to meet those standards.

Martin Minow
minow@bolt.enet.dec.com