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From: rick@crowbar.apple.com (Rick Auricchio)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux
Subject: Re: How do I access SCSI using A/UX System Calls?
Message-ID: <10053@goofy.Apple.COM>
Date: 5 Sep 90 18:01:11 GMT
Sender: usenet@Apple.COM
Reply-To: rick@apple.COM
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino CA
Lines: 33
Sender:


In article <108@ivc> ktyra@ivc.UUCP (Kristopher L. Tyra) writes:
>As far as I can tell there are no changes to the A/UX 1.1 Generic Driver 
>in A/UX 2.0 not including additions for tape driver support (anyone in Apple 
>please correct me if I'm wrong).  My question out there is:
    Minor bug fixes, nothing major.
>
>1)  How many people wish to play with the SCSI ports directly?
    I wish there were none.
>
>2)  Is it enough to make a better Generic Driver interface for writing
>    device drivers or should a /dev/scsi be created ?  The A/UX 1.1 Generic
>    Driver Interface in my opinion is limited and certain functions
>    reported in thier documentation do not work.

    Having a /dev/scsi would better benefit third-party hardware vendors,
    who could then provide a single user-level portable driver that used
    a standard /dev/scsi interface.  Right now, providing a kernel-based
    driver for each different system is a pain.

    Having /dev/scsi wouldn't solve the problem for Mac binaries, which
    expect to issue a trap to just shoot SCSI commands out.
>
>5)  How about removable media ? Apple's driver re-reads the partition 
>    information on every open - it works but, yuck !!!  Is this acceptable ?

    The A/UX generic disk driver doesn't handle removable media at all.
    This is a major change which will eventually be fixed.
--
Rick Auricchio, Apple Computer Inc, 10300 Bubb Rd, MS 50-UX Cupertino CA 95014
rick@apple.COM  	  	 Mooney N894AR     		(408) 974-4227
		Work is for people who don't know how to fly.
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