Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!shelby!agate!ziploc!stan From: stan@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Stan Osborne) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: SCSI formatter Summary: Fujitsu Support and other info Keywords: FUJITSU, SCSI, FORMATTER, SUPPORT Message-ID: <1325@toaster.SFSU.EDU> Date: 17 Feb 91 06:36:19 GMT References: <5214@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <1991Feb13.080850.2311@agate.berkeley.edu> <12117@helios.TAMU.EDU> Organization: San Francisco State University Lines: 56 In article <12117@helios.TAMU.EDU> andrewd@cs.tamu.edu (Andrew Ted Duchowski) writes: >In article <1991Feb13.080850.2311@agate.berkeley.edu> izumi@fugitive.berkeley.edu (Izumi Ohzawa) writes: >> [...] >>>> In article <5214@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> rory@fps.com (Thomas (Rory) Bolt) writes: >>>> Here is a shareware disk formatting program for the NeXT. It was written >>>> specifically for the Fujitsu M226xS family of drives, but it should work >> >>2.0's /usr/etc/sdform, I don't think, will allow you to >>change "bytes/sector" parameter of SCSI disks. Rory's >>formatter claims to be able to do this. Going from 512 bytes/sector >>to 1024 bytes/sector will give you additional 40MB or so of >>storage. For this function alone, his program is worth it. >>The doc says it does more. >> >> [...rest deleted...] > >I tried the program, but was a little apprehensive about actually >letting it format my 2263sa drive. In the technical manual from >Fujitsu it says that the 2263sa revision in particular has a >maximum configuration of 512 bytes/sector. Rory doesn't specify >what revision his drive is. I'd advise a bit of warning before >going against the manual's limits. If you are not sure about what to do, call one of Fujitsu's support numbers. 800/828-6112 619/481-4004 We recently got two Fujitsu M2266SA from a local PC component supplier to use building two NeXTs into servers. The Fujitsu documentation was back-ordered. Thus I used recent postings about jumper settings to set up the drives and to verify they worked. After I finished my first testing of the drives, the supplier of the disk drives provided the above numbers. I called to find out what the jumpers I had changed were doing. The person who answered was helpful. It turns out you can order these disks pre-formated at 1024 bytes per sector. The "SA" designation is for 512 bytes per sector. The "SB" designation is for 1024 bytes per sector. Also, I was assured that a 512 byte per sector drive could be converted to 1024 bytes per sector by reformating. The person I spoke with checked with Fujitsu testers and verified that they have not tested the M226xSx drives with NeXTs. After reading all the recent posts about Fujitsu drives you might have concerns about formating, configuring, etc. If in doubt about what you think you should do with your disk drives, call Fujitsu. Stan -- Stan Osborne, Computer Science Department, San Francisco State University Internet: stan@cs.sfsu.edu Usenet: cshub!stan Voice: (415) 338-2168