This message is from the T13 list server.

> From: ... From: ... From:
 
Since three replied quickly, I imagine here we have a fun history of pain?  I've heard 
of people stopping LUN searches after the first not found, whoops.  Is that all the 
history here or is there more to it?
 
Also, I missed it if someone said definitively how far beyond \\.\TAPE0 we should 
search?
 
In any case, thanks all for elaborating.  Yes indeed, the Nacogdoches guru did Not say 
to stop a search for tape devices should merely after the First missing of the 
sequence \\.\TAPE0 \\.\TAPE1 ... just as a search for disk drives should Not stop 
after merely the First missing of the sequence A: B: C: ....  Because of the response 
here, I feel reassured that I've chosen a topic of general interest, and I'm very 
pleased to have my first guess of an answer corrected.
 
How far beyond we search is a decision which we make in:
http://members.aol.com/plscsi/2002/09/22/plscsi.zip/
http://members.aol.com/plscsi/2002/09/22/plscsi.zip/sptx.cpp#sptxReadName
 
Granted, it's not critical if plscsi fails to list an available device.  That version 
of plscsi lists no tape devices at all, and yet still we can use that version to talk 
Scsi to \\.\TAPE0 etc., if only we know to volunteer precisely that path name.  But it 
would be more friendly if plscsi were to successfully list all devices that can accept 
the DeviceIoControl SCSI_PASS_THROUGH of Win 2K/XP.
 
> where I have to do that
> for physical drives, I even go
> up to 26 (== Z:), albeit I never
> personally saw a physicaldrive10 or more.
 
To list all available devices, `plscsi -w` currently tries all of \\.\A: thru \\.\Z:, 
in part because Win 2K/XP includes dialogs that let people place a single drive 
anywhere from \\.\D: to \\.\Z:.
 
> Looping on tapex from 0 to 9
> would be a good safety measure.

To become tape aware, should plscsi try all of \\.\TAPE0 thru \\.\TAPE9 ?  Or up to 
\\.\TAPE26?  Or up to \\.\TAPE31?  Or up to \\.\TAPE99?  Or what?  (For Linux, 
plscsi.zip/sgio.cpp#sgioReadName tries /dev/sg0 .. /dev/sg29, stopping arbitrarily 
before the first multiple of ten after 0..25 = 'a'..'z'.)
 
> From: Pierre Duhem [mailto:ls.duhem@;wanadoo.fr] 
> ... In my code, ...
 
Posted somewhere on the web?
 
Curiously yours in stunning ignorance, thanks again in advance, Pat LaVarre

         
        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Peter Wieland [mailto:peterwie@;windows.microsoft.com] 
        Sent: Thu 10/17/2002 5:55 PM 
        To: Pat LaVarre; [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
        Cc: 
        Subject: RE: [t13] CDB's without drive letters in Win 2K/XP
        
        

        note that the \\.\TAPE<n> namespace could be sparse - ie. you could have
        \\.\TAPE0 and \\.\TAPE2 without a \\.\TAPE1.
        
        -p

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Manders, Ron [mailto:Ron.Manders@;Onstream.com] 
        Sent: Fri 10/18/2002 2:18 AM 
        To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
        Cc: 
        Subject: RE:[t13] CDB's without drive letters in Win 2K/XP
        
        

        Hello, 

        I must admit I do not know if Windows in some cases skips slots, but just want 
to confirm: 


        Hot plugable tape drives do exist for this Windows market, e.g. ours ;-) 

        OnStream Echo USB30 (15GB native USB1.1 interface) 
        OnStream ADR2.60usb2 (30GB native USB2 interface) 

        Third parties have also assembled IEEE1394 tape drives with OnStream (IDE 
drives with bridge board in external enclosures).

        And I know that our competition also offers USB and IEEE1394. 

        With kind regards, 

        Ron Manders 
        SWQA Manager OnStream Data. 
        www.onstreamdata.com 

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Pierre Duhem [mailto:ls.duhem@;wanadoo.fr] 
        Sent: Fri 10/18/2002 1:38 AM 
        To: Pat LaVarre 
        Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
        Subject: Re[2]: [t13] CDB's without drive letters in Win 2K/XP
        
        

        Pat,
        
        PL> Courtesy a guru I know in Nacogdoches, Texas, now we
        PL> know the Win 2K/XP tape analogue of the \\.\A: \\.\B: of
        PL> disks & cd-roms ... is \\.\TAPE0 \\.\TAPE1 ...
        
        As a matter of fact, you should never rely on the fact that the series
        begins at 0 and continues without empty slots. All new hot-pluggable
        hardware devices (I don't know whether such tape drives exist, but it
        is definitively the case for physicaldisk0, etc.) can occupy a slot
        and, when removed, leave the slot empty.
        
        Looping on tapex from 0 to 9 would be a good safety measure. In my
        code, where I have to do that for physical drives, I even go up to 26
        (== Z:), albeit I never personally saw a physicaldrive10 or more.
        
        
        
        
        --
        Best Regards
        Pierre Duhem
        Logiciels & Services Duhem, Paris (France)
        [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        
        
        -----Original Message-----
        From: Pat LaVarre [mailto:LAVARRE@;iomega.com]
        Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 4:34 PM
        To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        Subject: RE: [t13] CDB's without drive letters in Win 2K/XP
        
        
        This message is from the T13 list server.
        
        
        Good fun, thank you, certainly more focused info than
        the ddk devicetree tool.
        
        Courtesy a guru I know in Nacogdoches, Texas, now we
        know the Win 2K/XP tape analogue of the \\.\A: \\.\B: of
        disks & cd-roms ... is \\.\TAPE0 \\.\TAPE1 ...
        
        That is, in place of a drive letter, count 0 1 2 ...,
        and prepend prefix TAPE, but append no trailing colon.
        
        And then IOCTL_SCSI_PASS_THROUGH works.
        
        Thanks again, Pat LaVarre
        
        P.S. This answer works only if the DeviceManager
        lists your tape drive as a Tape drive, rather than an
        Other device.
        
        P.P.S. This answer is easy to find, After you know it.
        
        MSDN articles that suggest trying this include:
        http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/fileio/
        base/creating_a_backup_application.asp
        
        Another hint is in the DeviceManager Properties for
        each of your "Tape drives".  There I see the "Tape
        Symbolic Name" tab suggest "Tape0", for example.
        
        A relevant web trail I enjoyed was:
        http://www.bustrace.com/products/guid_explorer.htm
        http://www.bustrace.com/products/devfilter.htm
        http://www.bustrace.com/support/links.htm
        
        I like that links page, just two clicks reaches my:
        http://members.aol.com/plscsi/
        
        The copies of GuidExp.exe and devfilter.exe that I got
        from bustrace.com passed the @ieee.org virus check.
        
        devfilter.exe doesn't see my tape drive, but
        GuidExp.exe lists my tape drive as a device of GUID_DEVCLASS_TAPEDRIVE.
        
        
                -----Original Message-----
                From: Mike Berhan [mailto:mikeb@;bidali.com]
                Sent: Tue 10/15/2002 5:35 AM
                To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
                Cc:
                Subject: RE: [t13] CDB's without drive letters in Win 2K/XP
               
               
        
                This message is from the T13 list server.
               
               
                Pat,
               
                > Anybody here know the Win 2K/XP path to SCSI-over-whatever
        that
                > don't have drive letters?
               
                You can use the SetupDiXXX set of APIs to enumerate a class of
        devices (e.g. all disk drives, all CD/DVD drives, etc.).  Once you
        enumerate the device, you can query a variety of device properties.
        This free utility we have might be of value (it uses the mentioned
        APIs):
               
                http://www.bustrace.com/products/guid_explorer.htm
               
               
                Mike Berhan
        
        

 

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