qd32 trouble

[Jay Jaeger]

I *might* be able to help, *if* you also have a MicroVax you can plug
this controller into - eventually (months).  I have a pair of MicroVaxen
with Emulex QD32 SMD controllers in my collection.  (My inventory shows
them as QD325, but I expect that is a misnomer; my notes indicate QD32).

With those machines I also got an Emulex Diagnostic tape, VX9962004 Rev
J.  My notes indicate it has these diagnostics:

FQD01M MSCP Formatter:  QD01, QD32, SC03
FVD03M: UCxx Host Adapter Format
FVD32M MSCP Formatter: QD01, QD32, SC41, SC03
IQC02: DHV11 Option of CS02/H Diagnostic
IQT12: TS11 Compatible QT12/TC03 Diagnostic
IVC23E: CS23/CS04 Diagnostic

I have not used that tape in several years, though, I don't seem to have
made an image of that tape at this point (shame on me).  (Now on my ToDo
list - but it will probably be a couple of months).

On 2/20/2018 5:49 PM, Jacob Ritorto via cctalk wrote:
> Hi all,
>   Would anyone here be able to help me troubleshoot my qd32 controller?  I
> have a pdp11/73 that's mostly working, boots 2.11bsd from rl02 okay, but I
> need my big disk to work so I can load the rest of the distro.
>   I've been following the manual for the qd32 to enter the geometry of my
> real working Fuji m2333 (jumpered correctly according to the manuals), but
> when I load the special command into the qd32's SP register that's supposed
> to load the geometry table I entered in pdp11 memory to the qd32's novram,
> I get a bad status value from the qd32's SP register and it remains
> unresponsive when I try to store the geometry.  If I go ahead and try the
> built-in qd32 format command, it responds similarly.  When I pull in mkfs
> from tape (vtserver) and try anyway, despite the failures, to run mkfs on
> the m2333, I get an !online error from the standalone unix mkfs.  The disk
> does respond (the select light flashes and I can hear heads actuating), but
> without geometry and format, I'm obviously dead in the water.
> 
>   I understand that there used to exist some Emulex qd32/pdp11 diagnostics
> that could help the situation, but my previous attempts to find copies have
> come up short.
> 
>   Any suggestions on how to proceed?
> 
> thx
> jake
>