XXDP+ LL Formatter on RX50/RX33 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

17 Apr 2000

...
 > > I'm contemplating attempting to do this
myself, 
> > but in case it's been done already, I'd just as
> > soon as not re-invent the wheel. 
> 
> It's doable.  You need to create a bootable XXDP disk and copy the
> required formatter to it. not much more than that required. 
...
 I figured as much; I was just probing to see if anyone
had already 
done it.   
Sure.  Do you just want the RQDX3 utilities on it?

Up until a year or two ago, DEC would sell you a subset of XXDP on RX50's
that included the things commonly used on Micro-PDP's.  They don't have
any RX50's left in inventory, though.

...
 BTW-- Are RL02's a maintainance nightmare? Do the
advantages
of these drives outweigh the problems (not to mention their *size*, 
or are they simply not worth it? 
RL02's are, IMHO, the most reliable of all the 14" removable cartridge
drives.  The embedded servo design means that absolute positioning
alignment does't have to be done.  (Though the relative alignment of the
two heads does matter somewhat.)  The head flies pretty high over the platter,
so crashes are rare.  I know one site that ran a bunch of RL01's (mechanically
very similar) continuously for twenty years before upgrading to RL02's, and
the only problems they had were the spindle bearings wearing out.

And they aren't very big or heavy either.  They're less than 70 lbs
each, so they're easy to move around.  The big Massbus drives, those
are a different story.

-- 
 Tim Shoppa                        Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
 Trailing Edge Technology          WWW:   http://www.trailing-edge.com/
 7328 Bradley Blvd		   Voice: 301-767-5917
 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817           Fax:   301-767-5927