On Tue, Dec 8, 2015 at 11:02 AM, Paul Koning <[email protected]> wrote: > One detail on "it doesn't care what the tape is": RSTS kits on 1/2 inch tape > come > in 800 and 1600 bpi versions. They have different boot blocks, each of them > designed to work with all tape drives/controllers supported on RSTS that > support the density in question. For example, the 1600 bpi kit doesn't boot > on a TM11 controller, and the 800 bpi kit won't boot on a TMSCP controller.
I remember TM and TS boot issues from the 80s when we were running RSTS on an assortment of 11/24 and 11/34 hardware and having to migrate tape controllers and tape drives from place to place for the installs (TMB11 + TS03, MS11 + TU80...) I still have a couple of boxes of 800bpi small reels we used on that TS03. > This matters if you try to boot one in an emulator where physical tape > density doens't have any meaning. Hadn't considered the implications, but sure... you would have to completely emulate the original gear or the stars won't align. -ethan
