Xref: utzoo comp.periphs.scsi:1781 comp.periphs:3416
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!westc!marco
From: marco@west.nl (Marco Nijdam)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi,comp.periphs
Subject: Portable optical disk data format
Keywords: SCSI optical disk file system portable
Message-ID: <1991Jan30.140518.19768@west.nl>
Date: 30 Jan 91 14:05:18 GMT
Organization: West Consulting bv, Delft, The Netherlands
Lines: 39

Greetings,

We want to write data to optical disks for archiving purposes.
We want to be able to read those optical disks back at some time,
but not necessarily on the same machine.

For example, we would like to write data to OD on a Sun, and read the
data back on a VAX/VMS machine (or vice versa).

OD devices are all SCSI, and of the magneto optical type, although
WORM disks also have our interest.

Because we want to use the disks as archiving media, we do not need
a fancy file system on the disk, although it would not be a problem.

Because I am not familiar with SCSI devices, I hope someone can
help me with the following questions:

1. Is it possible to use a file system, or do we need to write to the
   raw device? Could we maybe use an existing implementation of some
   portable filesystem (which?)

2. Do you know if there is an implementation of some sort of a library
   of routines to read and write data to and from SCSI devices independent
   of the machine we are using, already available, either in public domain
   or commercial? We would rather use that, than roll our own version.
   Functions provided should be something like: read/write a file,
   check medium consistency, mount a medium.

3. Can optical media be read with a drive from another brand than the
   one on which it was written to?

Please reply by email to the address below. Any help is very much
appreciated.

-- Marco Nijdam, marco@westc.uucp  OR  mcsun!hp4nl!westc!marco
-- West Consulting bv, Phoenixstraat 49, 2611 AL  Delft, The Netherlands
--                     P.O. Box 3318,    2601 DH  Delft
-- Tel: +31-15-123190, Fax: +31-15-147889