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Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: HD Errors
Message-ID: <37568@cup.portal.com>
Date: 4 Jan 91 12:43:03 GMT
References: <139834@pyramid.pyramid.com>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 72

telam@pyrps5.pyramid.com (Thomas Elam) in <139834@pyramid.pyramid.com> writes:

	>	1. equivalent to UNIX's "fsck"
	>	2. equivalent to UNIX's "fsdb"
	>	3. easy and convenient (ideally automatic) bad-block mapping
	>	   while online (SCSI *can* do this automatically in case you
	>	   were unaware)

	Thad, how would the file system get involved in the bad-block mapping?

The file system only indirectly gets "involved" with bad-block mapping.
Consider what happens if a block presently associated with a file gets "mapped
out".  Bingo, inconsistent file.  The SCSI OS can be instructed (using tools
such as the ones I mentioned can be found at "adaptex") to automatically map
out bad blocks upon writing, and the OS (i.e. filesystem) would never even know
about it, since the SCSI OS still presents "sequential"(ly numbered blocks) to
the device driver.  In my experience, bad blocks are "found" when doing a read
after write operation; the SCSI devices can detect this "automagically" if
instructed to do so and thus the user won't see any problem.  Of course, if
later a block is found "bad" during a read, then you better have a recent
backup!  :-)

	>[instructions on how to uucp information deleted]

	For those of us for which ftp is much easier to use than is uucp, how
	can we get the list and description?  For example, could you give us a
	phone number for voice communication or a postal address?

Heh!  I've been WAITING for a question like this for some time.  Seems people
don't know the PURPOSE of the NSF-sponsored Internet (re: ftp).  Read on ...

[BTW, "NSF" = National Science Foundation]

Recently, in comp.protocols.tcp-ip, the Director of BARRnet (Bay Area Regional
Research network, affiliated with the NSF's Internet) started blasting people
who were using the Internet for "personal" email; BARRnet is based at Stanford.
He was responded-to by another person who asked if he (the BARRnet Director)
personally examines all email exiting Stanford to be SURE that none of
Stanford's professors were using email over BARRnet/Internet for their "outside
"
consulting work.  Silence.

Last year, the Houston Chronicle (not sure of the name, but a major newspaper
there) published an expose' regarding use of the taxpayer-supported Internet
for PORNOGRAPHY, SEX, and other VILE and EVIL things; specifically, the
transmission of the daily multi-megabytes of alt.sex.pictures.  The shit very
quickly hit the fan, and Congress will soon be examining ALL use of the NSF
Internet.

Just think what will happen to everyone who "ftp's" to get their daily dose of
Amiga games and whatnot from abcfd20 ... bingo, possibly Federal Fine$$$ and
your picture on the walls of US Post Offices!  :-)

The charter of the NSF-funded Internet is for research and government-sponsored
activities ONLY.  I'm really surprised no-one's cracked down before.  This year
should be interesting ...

In any event, the system on which Roy Neese makes his software available is
NOT available via ftp since he's a commercial enterprise; his system is
reachable using uucp per the info I posted yesterday.  You could probably check
the uucp maps for his phone number; I don't have them readily available; or
you could call Adaptec (Milpitas CA) or the info operator for Houston TX which
is where I believe "adaptex" is located.  Remember, too, Roy's programs ONLY
work on IBM-PCs, and I mentioned them only because we NEED those kind of tools
for the Amiga (should someone be ambitious enough to clone them).

One more point about "ftp" access: the uunet people have started Alternet
which is NOT funded by us taxpayers, and THAT will be available for commercial
and non-research use.  As for gateways, traffic-monitoring, etc. suggest you
follow the message threads in the appropriate newsgroups.

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]