---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash 150MB TAPE DRIVE INFO SunFLASH Vol 23 #15 November 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is from an internal article that I thought would be of general interest. If you are unsure which tape drive you have in a machine, try the command: mt -f /dev/rst0 stat Change rst0 as appropriate. - johnj) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Due to a large number of questions on the new 150MB tape drive I thought it would be a good idea to get out some basic operating info on the beast. ( This is not intended as a full technical overview, but rather as a help to those using the drive under real conditions). The tape unit uses the SCSI target ID of 4 and is called st0. If a lunch box is used, the number in the little window on the back should be a 4. If a lunch box tape is added to a system with an internal tape or if it is the second lunch box tape, it should be set to address 5 and be called st1. It can read tapes from other drives that were written in either the QIC-11 (rst0), or the QIC-24 (rst8) without it being necessary to specify which it was written in. For all tapes, the only designation nesessary for the 150MB tape drive is /dev/rst0. The unit automatically senses what format the tape being read was written in, and reads it. If you do use rst8, it reads that way also, but it is not necessary. The 150MB drive can only write in high-density (QIC-150) format and does so automatically. The main requirement is a high density (6150 type) cartridge. It will not write on the cartridges commonly used with the 60MB tape drive and will give an error if you try. The tar command works the same as always and the device to use is /dev/rst0. The most common question concerns the use of the dump routine. After much experimentation with both large (over 150MB), and smaller files and partitions, I have discovered the following: 1) DO NOT use the b option. The default of 126 is optimum for all situations and if your partition is over 150MB in size, the use of a larger blocking factor will cause dump to FAIL (but only after 1/2 hour of running). 2) DO NOT use the d option. The density selection is automatic. 3) DO NOT use the t option. Track selection is automatic. 4) You can fool around and try to use these options and dump will still run, but not optimally. 5) It takes about 30 min. to dump 150 meg. 6) For the very best results and to insure that you can get a full 150MB on a tape use the command string: >>>> dump 0ufcs /dev/rst0 1500 /dev/rsd0h <<<< Of course you must substitute the proper partition that you want to dump i.e. rxd1g, rxy2d, etc. 7) The c option identifies the use of a cartridge. 8) The s option is the length of the tape. (The following only applies to 4.x.x, dump was different with 3.5) The reason to use 1500 instead of 600 is that dump was written with the rst8, 60MB on a 600 foot tape in mind. Since 150MB is 2.5 times 60MB you multiply 600 times 2.5 and get 1500 for the length of the tape. (If the logic does not seem good just remember this) (It sounds odd but it works, and that's what counts) I hope that this helps out those of you who are starting to see these drives and are not quite sure about the operating proceedures. If you follow the guidelines above, you should get excellent results when using the 150MB tape drive. Miscellaneous technical Notes on the 150mb 1/4" tape (Archive Model 2150S 150mb QIC-150 1/4" Tape Drive) The Archive Viper Model 2150S uses an embedded SCSI controller and has a storage capacity of up to 150 megabytes using the QIC-150 interface standard. The drive offers a high data transfer rate of 112.5 kbytes/second, has a 64 kbyte RAM buffer to improve streaming performance, and supports SCSI disconnect/reconnect. The drive requires +5 vdc (+/- 5%) and +12 vdc (+/- 10%), measured at the drive. The current required is 0.5 amps nominal / 0.7 amps maximum on +5 vdc and 0.8 amps nominal / 1.5 amps max / 2.5 amps max tape start surge on +12 vdc. Power dissipation is 20 watts typical and 35 watts maximum. Drive weight is 1.36kg (3.0 lb). It can be mounted vertically or horizontally. When mounting in the vertical position, it is recommended that the locking lever be in the top position. The drive is mounted using SAE #6-32 screws. Tape cartridges recommended by Archive are: ANSI X3B5/87-165 DC600XTD r/w QIC-150, r/w QIC-120, r QIC-24 ANSI X3B5/85-138 DC600A r/w QIC-120, r QIC-24 ANSI BSR X3.127 DC300XLP r QIC-24 DC6150 r/w QIC-24, r/w QIC-120, r/w QIC-150 The drive is rated at an MTBF of 15000 hours by Archive. The only form of preventive maintenance required is the periodic cleaning of the heads and the sensor holes. The recommended cleaning solution is Archive head- cleaning fluid or Freon-TF. Alcohol should NOT be used to clean the head. The heads should be cleaned using a 6" long swab made of lintless cotton or equivalent non-abrasive material. After dipping the swab in the cleaning solution, wipe the swab across the head in the same direction as tape motion. Do NOT wipe in a perpendicular or circular motion as small particles of residue may collect on the heads. Archive recommends using two passes with a moistened swab and one pass with a dry swab. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. It is targeted at Sun Users and Customers. 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