Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:6193 comp.unix.microport:3400
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mailrus!sharkey!bnlux0!sbee!mhlevy
From: mhlevy@sbee.sunysb.edu (Mark Levy)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: Unix floppy disk formats (was: Backups of Distibution Floppies)
Summary: Why are floppy opperations so slow with XENIX
Message-ID: <1183@sbee.sunysb.edu>
Date: 31 May 89 05:27:56 GMT
References: <752@mccc.UUCP> <241@vector.Dallas.TX.US> <185@usource.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Lines: 24

> 
> And now a question: why is it that floppy operations are so
> incredibly slow under unix.  SCO and AT&T are both bad about
> this.  Do something on the floppy drive and you may as else go
> to lunch while it's chugging along.  A 3b2 (older models, at
> least) takes about two minutes to read or write one 80-track
> floppy!!!  That's about 1.5 seconds a track.  It's academic, of
> course... I haven't used the floppy as the swap device in some
> time now... 

If you read the manual, you will find that in the later versions of SCO
XENIX, you can specify the interleave.  A 1:1 interleave speeds things up
tremendously, if you controller can handle it.

Sorry, but I'm not sure when that feature was implemented, and I don't have
my manual handy right now to give you the switch setting.

Mark

-- 
~~~~~~~~~  Disclaimer???   We don't need no stinkin' disclaimer!!!  ~~~~~~
Mark Levy { mhlevy@sbccvm.BITNET   } 	% Debbie Gibson is pregnant,  with
          { mhlevy@sbee.sunysb.edu }    %   my two headed love child....
          { mhlevy@ccvm.sunysb.edu } 	%                         Mojo Nixon