On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 19:42:31 -0600, Ed Gould <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>So unless you have trhe doc you have really no way of knowing what an
>erase really does? (does anyone know?)
>
>Does anyone know for say a 3490 ?
Without getting philosophical, I do know this much:
IBM 3490 Magnetic Tape Subsystem
Hardware Reference
Document Number GA32-0127-03
...
1.8 Data Security Erase (X'97')
--
There isn't a lot there, but it is documented and it is at least
widely if not freely available.
>I find it extremely odd that IBM would not document a device. If this
>a propietary interface the people that need to interface with the
>device must pay IBM big $$ ? Something is rotten in Denmark as they say.
>
>Ed
The SCSI interface is documented in:
IBM Magstar 3590 Tape Subsystem
Hardware Reference
GA32-0331
which is freely available on the Internet.
"The Erase command performs a physical medium erase from the current
position to the end of the current or only partition."
('erase' does not appear in the Glossary...but 'dump' is there :))
There is another manual with S/390 Hardware Interface Information,
which requires a licence.
I've never liked the smell of that, either, so I periodically
gripe about it.
Regards,
Mike Baldwin
Cartagena Software Ltd.
www.cartagena.com
1-888-USE-TAPE +1 905-887-0755
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