On 7/6/10 1:36 PM, Shoppa, Tim wrote:
There's no
standard on-disk format for SMD drives, unfortunately.
Within the DEC-compatible SMD world, many controllers (especially the Massbus-emulating)
offered lowest-common-denominator compatibility with DEC RM03/RM05/RP05 packs
in CDC 9762/CDC 9766/Memorex 677-51 drives.
There are some delicate hooks between the software device drivers, Massbus registers, and
the low level format that made it desirable to keep this lowest-common-denominator there
even for SMD drives that had geometries nothing like the 9762/9766/677-51.
Yes, I remember this being a great benefit when using an Emulex QD32
to control a CDC 9762; that combination worked with RM02/RM03 packs. It
was EXTREMELY handy at work.
But in the Sun/VME world I know of no such
lowest-common-denominator standard.
That's the problem. :-( Worse, I've not heard of any such attempts at
compatibility in any other minicomputer ecosystem.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL