Yes, 2.4MB 5.25 inch drives and diskettes did exist, but they were very rare in the industry. IBM may have been the only consequential equipment manufacturer that used 2.4MB 5.25 inch drives and diskettes, and only in the IBM 3174 product line to my knowledge. A couple models of the 3174 (41R, 43R, which are really add-ons to the IBM 8250) used 2.88MB 3.5 inch drives and diskettes, and those were somewhat more common. (There were quite a few IBM PS/2 machines that shipped with 2.88MB drives, for example.) Configuration Support B and higher required the 2.4MB (or 2.88MB) capacity, and IBM upgraded at least some 3174 drives in the field.
If you can format a 1.2MB diskette to 2.4MB using the 3174 itself (or some other way), great, but the original poster seemed to indicate that's not possible. The 1.2MB media would also not have been tested and certified for 2.4MB use, although none of the 5.25 inch diskettes are getting any younger. I found the IBM part number for a 10 count box of blank 2.4MB diskettes for the IBM 3174: 72X6086. If you need a Dump Diskette specifically (which contains the microcode to support "dumping the controller and distributed function terminals") that IBM part number is 26F0106, one diskette per order I believe. Other types of 3174 diskettes included the Utility Diskette, Limited Function Utility Diskette, Control Diskette, DSL Diskette, and RPQ Diskette. I think all of these diskettes are (or were) "special order," and I don't think they had part numbers since they were subject to frequent change. The two part numbers above just might be orderable from IBM, but I have to assume there would be a charge. Some of the IBM 3174 models in at least some parts of the world (such as the U.S.) are still under IBM maintenance through January 31, 2016. Ordinarily that would imply that service parts are still available from IBM for just a little while longer as I write this. In the U.S. try calling 800-388-7080 or 866-426-4258 to see if they can fill an order for you, or check with IBM Global Asset Recovery Services (GARS): https://www.ibm.com/financing/us/contact/index.html Or check with vendors of used and surplus IBM equipment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy Sipples IT Architect Executive, Industry Solutions, IBM z Systems, AP/GCG/MEA E-Mail: [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
