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From: dascher@stanley.cis.brown.edu (David Ascher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: rz57 and block size
Message-ID: <DASCHER.91Jun20154819@stanley.cis.brown.edu>
Date: 20 Jun 91 19:48:19 GMT
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: David_Ascher@Brown.EDU
Distribution: comp
Organization: Brown University CIS, Providence RI USA.
Lines: 25

Hi all.

I'm about to start a very large newsfeed and use a good chunk of an
rz57 as storage medium...  As usual, the problem that comes up is
blocksize, since small blocksizes allow for an efficient storage of
thousands of very small articles.  Problem is, it isn't "legal" to
format an rz57 with a blocksize of less than 4k...  Which is a real
problem.

Some people at DEC have told me that the only way around this is, and
I quote:

"The solution to this problem is to lie about the geometry of the disk
and tell it that there are more, but smaller, cylinders".

This is where I go "Uh....".  

Have any of you ever done this?  Any experts out there who can either
tell me if my fears are unfounded, or where problems may crop up?

Thanks for any info.

-david ascher
 Brown University Computing and Information Services
 David_Ascher@Brown.EDU