Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ccng!tgoldtho
From: tgoldtho@ccng.uwaterloo.ca (Thomas A. Goldthorpe)
Subject: Re: hard drive info wanted
Message-ID: <1990Oct1.044754.21637@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
Keywords: Hard disk add on's
Sender: daemon@watserv1.waterloo.edu
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <45139@apple.Apple.COM> <1990Sep25.234935.1501@watserv1.waterloo.edu> <51560@brunix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 90 04:47:54 GMT
Lines: 30

In article <51560@brunix.UUCP> rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony) writes:
>
>Most importantly the sector size is almost always set to 512byte/sec instead
>of 1024byte/sector. This usually enhances throughput AND capacity of a disk.
>A program that does cache enabling and low-level formatting on the NeXT is
>available from us. Send mail to this account for more information.
>I also should mention, that the Mac programs I know of allow not for a change
>in sector size, but only things like caching.
>
>Ronald

I wouldn't trust your program for now, however.  Until
NeXT officially releases info on what to do for third party products, the
program might be broken without you even knowing it.  You also don't seem
to mention the problem with /etc/disktab and the 512/1024 byte sector
problem.  Such stuff also needs fixing first.  So for now I advise people
to stick with what is supplied with the system.  At least it works and
gives me nearly twice the performance on a cheap 600Mbyte drive than with
the maxtor supplied with the system.  I won't complain about that kind
of a gain for now (though better may be possible).  Note in 2.0 things
may be fixed, I don't have it yet and therefore don't know.  BTW, only one
of the mac utilities I used didn't have a sector length paramter.  Besides
most always use the 512 byte size, which is what I need anyway.

Just my $0.02

Tom