14 Aug
2004
14 Aug
'04
1:52 p.m.
I got a single ended interface for the 9914... but I'm having fits getting
my system to work with it. Anyone really up on these?
Jay
4:25 p.m.
John wrote...
"fits" = ...?
Might help in diagnosing...
Sorry, was a bit flustered. I had switched the card in the tape drive from a
differential to a single ended one. One of the problems apparently was my
9914 had been set to ignore settings on the card, and to use NVRAM instead.
So I changed diag 67, opt 13, bit 4 and it rescanned the card. After solving
a stupid (on my part) termination problem, the host now sees the drive (and
everything else on the chain, both int. & ext.) just fine.
The host can read and write data (tars, cpios, etc.) at both 800 and 1600
bpi. Any attempts to write at 3200 or 6250 fail. So... I went to
diagnostics, the confidence test (01). Here's what I get (note, the
confidence test tries 6250, 3200, 1600, 800, in that order)....
(displays 6250)
F19 Er98 (humm I thought this test was for pertec interface only)
(I hit diag and run, to continue on)
F26 Er02
(I hit diag and run, to continue on)
F29 Er02
(I hit diag and run...)
F28 Er02
(I hit diag and run... the display shows 3200 but no tape motion, then goes
immediately to 1600,
then it moves the tape a lot, displays 800, moves the tape more, then
displays Pass98).
So it seems the unit has trouble with 6250, doesn't seem to even try 3200,
but 800 and 1600 work fine (in the diag, as well as testing from the host).
Any ideas?
Jay West
4:44 p.m.
Jay West wrote:
John wrote...
So it seems the unit has trouble with 6250,
doesn't seem to even try 3200,
but 800 and 1600 work fine (in the diag, as well as testing from the host).
Any ideas?
Cheesy/worn media?
I'd be for borrowing a differential SCSI adapter and trying the
original setup.
Then again, I haven't even put power to my shiny new tabletop IBM
9-track, because I can't find docs anywhere.
Doc
5:10 p.m.
Cheesy/worn media?
Nah, I tried two different
tapes, both are brand new out of the box still
shrinkwrapped, and I had cleaned the heads twice over the past two days.
I'd be for borrowing a differential SCSI
adapter and trying the
original setup.
I may give that a whirl, but... since the drive and host are
definitely
working fine at 800/1600, and because the drives offline diags (not
involving the host) fail at 3200 and 6250, I don't think it's the interface
in the drive. Maybe I'm missing something?
Jay
5:28 p.m.
Jay West wrote:
The only thing I can really think of would be a mechanical issue,
like jerky or inconsistent tape movement at higher speed. But even that
wouldn't explain the fact that it doesn't even try at 3200bpi.
The reason I suggested replacing the diff interface card is that I've
mixed and matched the internal boards in the old Exabyte EXB-8200 8mm
drives and gotten really weird behavior. If the firmware revs in the
contributing drives weren't _very_ close, it was a crapshoot. I have no
idea if that could be the case with your drive.
I do diagnostics from a very low-tech perspective. If Device X was
working or supposedly working before I altered it and it doesn't work
now, I figure the odds are high that the alteration is a contributing
factor. If I don't have the docs or the equipment to do more specific
testing, going back to the original configuration is my first step.
Doc
Cheesy/worn
media?
Nah, I tried two different tapes, both are brand new out of the box still
shrinkwrapped, and I had cleaned the heads twice over the past two days.
I'd be for borrowing a differential SCSI
adapter and trying the
original setup.
I may give that a whirl, but... since the drive and host are definitely
working fine at 800/1600, and because the drives offline diags (not
involving the host) fail at 3200 and 6250, I don't think it's the interface
in the drive. Maybe I'm missing something? 
15 Aug
15 Aug
9:32 a.m.
The reason I suggested replacing the diff interface card is that I've
mixed and matched the internal boards in the old Exabyte EXB-8200 8mm
drives and gotten really weird behavior. If the firmware revs in the
contributing drives weren't _very_ close, it was a crapshoot. I have no
idea if that could be the case with your drive.
I do diagnostics from a very low-tech perspective. If Device X was
working or supposedly working before I altered it and it doesn't work
now, I figure the odds are high that the alteration is a contributing
Err, yes... Hence my feeling that swapping boards, unless you have a very
good idea that they are compatible, is a very bad idea. I've actually had
to sort out machines where some idiot has swapped boards for totally
incoompatible ones (i.e. swapping an RQDX1 with an RQDX3) and not
bothering to tell me. After I've found the real fault (in the
aforementioned machine it was stiction between the hard disk heads and
platters), I then have to figure out just what else has been done.
-tony
14 Aug
14 Aug
5:32 p.m.
On Sat, 14 Aug 2004, Jay West wrote:
(displays 6250)
F19 Er98 (humm I thought this test was for pertec interface only)
(I hit diag and run, to continue on)
F26 Er02
(I hit diag and run, to continue on)
F29 Er02
(I hit diag and run...)
F28 Er02
(I hit diag and run... the display shows 3200 but no tape motion, then goes
immediately to 1600,
then it moves the tape a lot, displays 800, moves the tape more, then
displays Pass98).
Well - first off I am having Trouble locating my .pdfof the M4 Manual -
which I know I had at one time, but it's been a while - so still
searching...
Second, I did the same set-up as you did, and my machine displays the
exact sequence of error messages that you get. Then, I de-mounted the
test-reel(a 10" 6250 certified, very-neraly-new reel) and put on a
write-enable ring... and the error sequence narrowed down to F29 and F28
- but the tape moved more, including the 3200 pass, and the lower speed
passes were extensive - culminating, like you, in a "Pass98"
So I'm not sure if these are errors per-se, or just maybe options not
installed - I dunno.
The best thing is find, and then RTFM.... if I can't locate mine, I'll
see if the person I bought it from still has the file - I guess M4 are no
longer in business, however there seems to be no lack of companies selling
and/or servicing these rigs, so Da Book shouldn't be all that hard to
find... although I don't think it'll be free... sigh. ;}
Cheers
John
5:42 p.m.
Well - first off I am having Trouble locating my
.pdfof the M4
Manual -
which I know I had at one time, but it's been a
while - so still
searching...
Which M4 manual... one is at:
http://www.m4data.com/Support/Files/9914/123477_23%209914_User_Diagnostic%2…
I have a few others I've been skimming, but haven't found the answers yet.
Second, I did the same set-up as you did, and my
machine displays the
exact sequence of error messages that you get. Then, I de-mounted the
test-reel(a 10" 6250 certified, very-neraly-new reel) and put on a
write-enable ring... and the error sequence narrowed down to F29 and F28
- but the tape moved more, including the 3200 pass, and the lower speed
passes were extensive - culminating, like you, in a "Pass98"
You mean
your test-reel didn't have a write wring? What you describe seems
odd to me.
So I'm not sure if these are errors per-se, or
just maybe options not
installed - I dunno.
That's just wierd. You would think if those error stops
were common, due to
options, that it would be documented. Well, that makes me feel better, but I
wonder why the host has failure writing at 3200/6250, but 800/1600 is fine.
Wierd!
The best thing is find, and then RTFM.... if I
can't locate mine, I'll
see if the person I bought it from still has the file - I guess M4 are no
longer in business, however there seems to be no lack of companies selling
and/or servicing these rigs, so Da Book shouldn't be all that hard to
find... although I don't think it'll be free... sigh. ;}
M4 has been
taken over by another company, and they sell/support them. Still
skimming the docs...
Jay
6:14 p.m.
On Sat, 14 Aug 2004, Jay West wrote:
I'll download this... thanks!
I have a few others I've been skimming, but haven't found the answers yet.
I'd like the URLs to those, too, if possible - I was sure I had the full
docs - but it is likely that they were paper and went with the previous M4
to Munich...
You mean your test-reel didn't have a write wring?
What you describe seems
odd to me.
And why is that? My results were *identical* to yours, then I thought to
check for the ring, it was not in place, I put one on, then re-ran the
tests, and the results were more 'positive' for want of a better word. I
still got the two errors you did - dunno what they are just now...
That's just wierd. You would think if those error stops were common, due to
options, that it would be documented. Well, that makes me feel better, but I
wonder why the host has failure writing at 3200/6250, but 800/1600 is fine.
Wierd!
I've run tapes on my laptop, using Novastor and an Adaptec 1200-series
SCSI card - but I"ve never tried anything higher than 1600, which is what
the tapes I was reading were written at.
On my Vaxstation 3100/38 - again I've never asked it to go fast, so the
tapes I've written under VMS have all been at the 1600 BPI range...
M4 has been taken over by another company, and they
sell/support them. Still
skimming the docs...
I should do that, too...
Cheers
John
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