Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!netxcom!logan From: logan@netxcom.netx.com (Jim Logan) Newsgroups: comp.unix.amiga Subject: Re: Floppy Drive Message-ID: <434@netxcom.netx.com> Date: 3 Jun 91 17:15:27 GMT References: <1991May30.005614.2095@wintermute.north.de> Organization: NetExpress Inc., Vienna, VA, USA Lines: 32 In article <1991May30.005614.2095@wintermute.north.de> kaba@wintermute.north.de (Kai Bartels) writes: # avalon@coombs.anu.edu.au (Darren Reed) writes: # >I'm interested in getting the 3.5 drive to work, but there is little # >documentation on how i should prepare a disk to use and which device # >it is. From one of the manual entries (fmtflpy i think it was) it # >mentioned /dev/dsk/c6d0s0 or some such name. i coudlnt find that # >command either curiously. The fstab doesnt mention it (it wouldnt be # >a bad idea to put it in commented out). # I couln't find the fmtflop either (and I'm sure there isn't any) but I'm # formatting the discs on my old A2000 with AmigaDos. mkfs or tar didn't # complain! (btw: the device to use seems to be /dev/(r)dsk/fd0.) # # My question to this is: how to read/write/format a 3.5" disc in ibm-format # 720k ? You need to use the /usr/amiga/bin/fmtfd (I'm not on my system to check, but I think the name's right) and redirect it into /dev/rdsk/fd0f or /dev/dsk/fd0f (I forget which, but it's probably the "rdsk" one.) The command is just a script that writes 16k blocks of zeroes. Neat way of doing it, but it has no man pages. (Neither /dev/rdsk/fd0f nor fmtfd have man pages!) Haven't tried yet, but you can probably cpio or tar directly to that device to format while backing up. -Jim -- Jim Logan Home: uunet!gimlet!logan Consultant Work: logan@netx.com Net Express, Inc. Phone: (703) 749-2269