x86/DOS system backup via rs232?

[Fred Cisin]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2015, 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.

If the hard disk is an XT ST506/412 interfaced drive, using the original 
OEM IBM hard disk controller (made by Xebec), then it can be easily 
switched to another XT using the original OEM IBM hard disk controller. 
Other hard disk controllers, including other models from Xebec!, may not 
recognize the format!
Other controllers could probably read at a sector level, iff you're 
willing to write some minor INT13h routines.   (some number sectors from 
0, some from 1, etc.)


AT hard drives (OEM controller is WD) seem to be reasonably 
interchangeable from one machine to another.

ESDI (mostly WD -7 controllers) will probably interchange.

RLL will often not work with a different make controller.