----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; "[email protected]:On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2016 4:04 PM Subject: Re: Are old SCSI tape drives not all created equal?
> > Hi, Mike. See further below where I mention Bart Lagerweij's > SCSI Tool Utility (an MSDOS program) with the drive connected > to a PC. > > - John --------------------------- Thanks very much, John; missed it first time around. I've got a pile of SCSI tape & disk drives that I'd like to sort through one day; sounds like this'll at least give me a basic dead/alive indication. m > > > On 8/21/2016 12:34 PM, Mike Stein wrote: >> What are you using to send/receive the commands? >> >> m >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From:<[email protected]> >> To:<[email protected]>; "[email protected]:On-Topic and >> Off-Topic Posts"<[email protected]> >> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2016 1:12 PM >> Subject: Re: Are old SCSI tape drives not all created equal? >> >> >>> >>> On 8/19/2016 1:08 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote: >>>> On 08/19/2016 09:24 AM, [email protected] wrote: >>>> >>>>> Where might I find information on how to form SCSI command data >>>>> blocks so as to try the above commands? I sent just an "01" to the >>>>> TEAC MT-2ST, and it did rewind.. >>>> John, what's your working OS platform? For fooling with SCSI, the ASPI >>>> interface of MS-DOS is pretty straightforward--and easy to use. >>> Chuck, for the purposes of testing the Teac drive, I'm using MSDOS on a 486 >>> PC platform with an Adaptec SCSI interface. >>> >>> >>> >>>> http://ftp.isu.edu.tw/pub/Hardware/ADAPTEC/adaptec/aspi_dos.txt >>>> >>>> ..and if you goof up, just hit the RESET button and you're back in >>>> business in a few seconds. >>>> >>>> A CDB's a CDB, so whatever you learn on DOS can easily be transfered to >>>> other OS interfaces (SPTI, SG, CAM, etc.). >>>> >>>> As far as tape-drive specific commands, there's always an ANSI T10 >>>> document, but that's like trying to learn about parking regulations from >>>> a university law library--it's probably all there, but you'll have to >>>> plow your way through a lot of stuff. FWIW, T10 doesn't refer to the >>>> things as "tape drives", but "sequential access devices". Here's a T10 >>>> draft: >>>> >>>> http://hackipedia.org/Hardware/SCSI/Stream%20Commands/SCSI-3%20Stream%20Commands.pdf >>>> >>>> By far and away, the best place to learn practical SCSI interfacing is >>>> from vendor's manuals themselves. One I found particularly useful was >>>> the HP 35470 DDS drive OEM product manual. Very clear writing style. >>>> >>>> Bitsavers is full of product manuals detailing exactly what and how a >>>> product supports. >>> Thanks very much for providing these resource links. >>> >>> >>> So to recap what it is I *was* trying to do, and am *now* trying to do, >>> for any readers that are still curious about this: >>> >>> I was going through various tape drives to see which would be compat with >>> an Emulux UC07 SCSI interface on a PDP-11/34 and also a Microvax III with >>> a CMD SCSI interface. >>> >>> A good -- but not guaranteed -- predictor of which drives would work, is >>> to first see how well the tape drive will talk to Bart Lagerweij's >>> SCSI Tool Utility (an MSDOS program) with the drive connected to a PC. >>> >>> I ran into problems with two drives: an OnStream ADR SC-30 and a Teac >>> MT-2ST 60MB drive. I was most hoping the Teac would work as it's a >>> pretty cool little device, and is closest in vintage to the 11/34 >>> of all my tape drives except for a DEC TS05 and TSZ07. >>> >>> >>> Unfortunately, I could only get the OnStream the work connected to a >>> Windows machine -- with the right driver. Only with the right driver, >>> will it work with NT Backup or other software. >>> >>> The Teac isn't working anywhere yet, although the drive appears to >>> be functional and is responding to a few primitives. >>> >>> Neither of these two drives is going to work with the 11/34, so that >>> matter is closed. >>> >>> >>> The final matter is that I'd still like to get the Teac to function >>> with some software, just to watch it operate (you have to really like >>> mechanical things to understand this strange fascination). Having put >>> some time and $ into the Teac, it'd be nice to get some reward, even >>> if only then it gets placed on the shelf afterwards. >>> >>> >>> - John >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>
