Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!crdgw1!ge-dab!tarpit!bilver!bill
From: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: ESIX 3.5" floppy problem
Message-ID: <1011@bilver.UUCP>
Date: 24 Sep 90 15:09:53 GMT
Reply-To: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion)
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL
Lines: 45

I just put up ESIX V.3.2 Rev D on a '386 25mHz machine, with an AMI
bios about 4 to 5 weeks ago.

I can't seem to format a 3.5" disk in either 720k or 1.4meg format
and write/read it.

The 3.5 works under DOS and will format/write/read 1.4megs.

I have a 5.25 disk, and I have not problems at all, and can read
tar disks generated by SCO Xenix 2.3.2.   At first I assumed that
the inability to read the Xenix tar formatted 3.5" disks was a
Xenix problem.

I then tried virtually all permutations of the 3.5" devices in the
manual, and also the device names in the /dev directory that are in
the Xenix file name format and linked to appropriate names in the
/dev/dsk and /dev/rdsk directories.

The 3.5" unit is a Teac, and is jumpered so that the drive
determines the density.  There are options that will permit the
density to be selected by software.  Is this the problem?

The controller is a hard/floppy controller, a WD1007V-SE2, driving
a Maxtor 8760E, a 5.25" floppy, and the 3.5" floppy.

What am I missing. Jumpers. Software config in ESIX.

As I said it works fine if I boot DOS, and when I tell it to format
under Unix, it appears to format, the light goes on, the screen
tells me I have formatted x number of tracks, but I can not tar to
the device.  

I give the command, the light comes on, it tries, and then I get a
message that starts
a <filename> # tape block 
The drive tries, then the message
tar: tape write error

Any ideas?

bill 

-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill
                      : bill@bilver.UUCP