So does DITTO. I also have my own HLASM tape copy programs that use
basic CCWs for tape I-O that I could modify, if needed, to read the
readable sections of the tape.
The bigger problem is the programs that created the back-ups. For many
of the tapes, we don't even know their internal format or what software
wrote them. Or, if the software is still on the machine. We think it may
still be there, but maybe not. And, the tape manager has changed too so
the supporting information that the tape manager may have had may not
still be available either.
Tony Thigpen
PINION, RICHARD W. wrote on 6/8/21 4:26 PM:
Doesn't FDR's FATS and FATR have the ability to read tapes, and skip unreadable
blocks? Some
data is better than no data at all.
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of
Tony Thigpen
Sent: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 4:21 PM
To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [External] Re: access to 9-track reel tape drive
[External Email. Exercise caution when clicking links or opening attachments.]
I have customer 3490 tapes from the 90's in my storage vault. (I also have good
3490 drives.)
We told the customer that we do not know if the tapes were even readable when
we got them 8 years ago. The told us:
"We don't care. As long as we can tell the auditors that we have the tapes, we are
good to go. If there is ever a need to read the tapes, we will fight the problems reading
the data off the tape at that time. If a lawyer wants data, we will then do a 'good
faith' attempt to read it, but not until then."
Tony Thigpen
Radoslaw Skorupka wrote on 6/8/21 4:08 PM:
Rule of thumb: you don't need old tapes, you may need old data.
In my former life I had 20 years old data, but the tapes were approx.
2-3 years old (max.). And always replicated, always in two locations.
For old media (tapes, optical, hdd's, whatever) the earlier you start
reading them the better chances you have.
--
Radoslaw Skorupka
Lodz, Poland
W dniu 08.06.2021 o 15:18, Carl Swanson pisze:
This was a fun trip down memory lane, I remember the Overland
device. And if memory servers me correctly you had to load the tape
through the mechanism manually, there was at least the ne I tried in
the early 90's no autoloader. Why could this be important is because
the most likely error these types of tapes will see is edge damage
making the not readable. And every time a human hand touches, they
the chances go up. Last Time I spoke with anyone about 3420 tapes was
back around 2010 and they had a number of tapes that for any reason
"Could Not be Scratched". Their solution was to hand the tapes to the
person making that statement and saying they will not be scratched
because they are in your possession. I thought it was a great
solution to the issue. The likelihood of reading these tapes in my
opinion is very low, they have passed their shelf life.
Carl Swanson
Mobile:215.688.1459
Email: carl.swans...@verizon.net
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On
Behalf Of Paul Gilmartin
Sent: Sunday, June 6, 2021 12:21 PM
To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [External] Re: access to 9-track reel tape drive
On Sun, 6 Jun 2021 05:54:17 +0000, Seymour J Metz wrote:
Presumably he's saying that nobody in his right mind would simply
copy the data on the tape to a byte stream, and that the most
obvious way to archive the tape is to convert it to AWSTAPE format.
Once it's in AWSTAPE format, then it's simple to read it under
Hercules, assuming that the labels and records follow OS/360 conventions.
Amen. Joe Monk's and Radoslaw's comments appear well-informed.
And with 9-track I believe there's no need to deal with the
abomination of even parity. ( knew an old CDC OS that relied on the
difference to discern filetypes, even replicating the behavior in
DASD
files.)
It's a pity there's no facility to process AWSTAPE directly with no
need for a step to convert to virtual or real 3480. Subsystem? ISV?
Or to generate AWSTAPE on Linux, MacOS, or Windows.
Does a dump of the first block say "VOL1"?
If the OP believes the tapes contain useful data he probably knows
which utility can process the restored images.
-- gil
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO
IBM-MAIN
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO
IBM-MAIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send
email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to
lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Confidentiality notice:
This e-mail message, including any attachments, may contain legally privileged
and/or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient(s), or
the employee or agent responsible for delivery of this message to the intended
recipient(s), you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or
copying of this e-mail message is strictly prohibited. If you have received
this message in error, please immediately notify the sender and delete this
e-mail message from your computer.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
