x86/DOS system backup via rs232?

Al Kossow aek at bitsavers.org
Thu Nov 12 21:28:09 CST 2015


On 11/12/15 4:00 PM, Mouse wrote:

> However, I _think_ some old Sun and MicroVAX machines play in that
> space; I've seen Qbus hardware that talks to drives with card-edge
> connectors and I've seen SCSI-to-cardedge interfaces on Suns of
> Sun-3/260 vintage.  I don't know the details of ST506, ESDI, and all
> that, but it strikes me as at least _possible_ that something in that
> line might be able to help.
>

Not really. Sun used Adaptec 4000's for MFM and Emulex MD21 for ESDI
DEC did its own thing, Emulex sold into that space with MFM/ESDI but
with their own formats.

Dave G's MFM emulator could read it, but just finding a serial block
transfer program that can cope with bad sectors would probably be easiest.
It wouldn't even be that difficult to write one if the system still knows
about the disk geometry in the CMOS RAM and you can use BIOS calls.






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