Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!caen!math.lsa.umich.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!hyc
From: hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Syquest drives
Message-ID: <1990Nov6.165842.5826@math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 6 Nov 90 16:58:42 GMT
References: <22780@eecs.wsu.edu> <283400007@adaptx1>
Sender: usenet@math.lsa.umich.edu
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor
Lines: 45

In article <283400007@adaptx1> neese@adaptx1.UUCP writes:
>>I want to take a SCSI cable from my mac to the Syquest.  Then another SCSI
>>cable from the Syquest to my IBM.  I wish to be able to swap from an IBM to a
>>Mac cartridge and then mount that cartridge from either machine.  Is this
>>possible?

>This can be done, BUT you cannot have both CPU's access the drive at the
>same time, unless you have a driver for both systems that know how to
>reserve/release the drive, to keep the computers from colliding with
>each other.

This is also a function of the SCSI adapter, right? As in, if the hardware
doesn't handle bus arbitration, the software can't do anything about it?

>A driver would also be needed for making the filesystems look like they should
>for each system.

If you just want to share the disk and not individual files on the disk,
all you need is to make the drivers recognize a common partitioning scheme,
instead of worrying about converting filesystems. 

>>Lastly does anyone know where a good deal can be found on this drive?  The
>>best I have found is $579 for an external drive with 1 cartridge.

I ordered from D.C. Drives (in Computer Shopper). Their price for drive and
1 cartridge is $530. (What do you mean by "external" drive - packaged with
case and power supply? You're not likely to find a packaged drive for less
than $700.) I got a bare drive ($450) because they were out of cartridges
at the time I ordered. (10 days ago. Quite frustrating because the guy taking
my order said the drive would arrive last Wednesday. I called Friday to ask
why it hadn't shown up yet, and the guy said "oh, we haven't shipped your
order yet. We've been out of cartridges for a while." Nice of them to tell
me so... Anyway, I told 'em to send the drive minus the cartridge, and it got
here today. I guess that's tolerable. ?)

On a slightly related note - I'm now in need of more complete specs for this
unit. The accompanying docs tell me a little, but not quite enough to format
the thing. How many sectors per track? Should I worry about reserved tracks
and sectors, or is that all hidden? How about write pre-compensation? Answers
would be greatly appreciated....
--
  -- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan

Mac// - adv., q.v. MacToo, e.g.  McHave a McHappy McDay!
		McThanks, McYou MacToo!