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From: alan@shodha.enet.dec.com ( Alan's Home for Wayward Notes File.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: RD54 Woes, yet again
Summary: Depends, but probably not.
Message-ID: <2190@shodha.enet.dec.com>
Date: 29 Dec 90 08:30:29 GMT
References: <1990Dec19.234817.14316@csn.org>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Colorado Springs, CO.
Lines: 44

In article <1990Dec19.234817.14316@csn.org>, rainer@rhubarb.colorado.edu (Rainer Malzbender) writes:
> Say I had a Microvax II and an RD54 disk drive. Say also that I tried to
> use the RD54 without one of those little "write-protect, ready" pushbutton
> panels on the front. Would this possibly screw up the disk ? 

	The important question is what kind of box do you have
	the RD54 in?  The three most common I can think of are
	the BA23 pedestal (tall, narrow and deep), the BA123
	(world box), and the "Lepracaun" desktop enclosure.

	It's been a long time since I needed to know, but I think
	in the BA23 and probably the Lepracaun if you didn't have
	the write-protect/ready switch couldn't be sure how the
	disk would come up when turned on.  I think the word I've
	seen used is "Indeterminate".  In the case of the BA123
	it would default to some known state of the signal from
	the button wasn't present.  I don't remember what the default
	state was, but I suspect it was ready/not-write-protected.

	Now, the symtom of a disk "unformatting" itself is something
	I have seen, when the disk is the "Lepracaun" box.  Generally
	this was used in configurations with one disk inside a BA23
	and the other outside connected via an RQDXE.  If, for example
	you turn off the system, but leave the disk turned on, it will
	appear to unformat itself.  If you turn off the system then turn
	off the disk, you'll get a bad block or two.  When turning on
	or off this setup you HAVE (HAVE!!!) to do things in the right
	order.  The rule is simple.

		NEVER have the disk turned on by itself.

	This particular problem could also be duplicated by having
	the cables hooked up wrong, but that made it seriously not
	useable.

> Say, furthermore, that I was running VMS 4.7. Could this be a problem? I am
> trying to upgrade to 5.whatever, but first I need a working RD54.

	Can't help here.  I only pay attention to ULTRIX.
> 
> --
> Rainer Malzbender, PhD 
-- 
Alan Rollow				alan@nabeth.enet.dec.com