werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig) (05/23/86)
PS: (yes, a PS up front of the seperately prepared article which follows below) both the boot-floppy *AND* the system in use on the Tecmar should contain the modifications outlined below. Preparing a 'Tecmar-system' on floppy and copying it to the HD is recommended. You can add Fonts and Desk Accessories to the HD-version later. Actually, the System on the HD does not need to contain all that the one on the floppy needs to have, but that is another story. WARNING: the TECMAR hard-disk needs to be reinitalized when migrating from MFS to HFS - so back-up all your goodies. Once you have created an HFS-DeskTop on the TECMAR, *NEVER-EVER* boot or switch to an MFS-System again. Details are too gruesome to explain. POINTER: if you don't know HFS and have no documentation for it, you should get a manual for a Mac-Plus somewhere and/or the respective Tech-Notes. HINT: under HFS it is possible to keep several different Systems (or complete System Folders) on the Tecmar. At boot-time, the Folder highest in the hierarchy which contains both Finder and System becomes the *active* one. Moving Files/Folders around (up/down the hierarchy) and rebooting can change that. The old "OPTION-CMD-double-click" on an alternate Finder in another Folder can also be used. NOTE: When creating an HFS-volume in the 'Tecmar Volume-Manager', a warning is given that "The Volume is not initialized" - ignore it; it's Tecmar's way of telling you that you have created an HFS-volume. You can create several HFS-volumes if you feel you must; creating additional MFS-volumes is also possible, useful for those applications that refuse to work with HFS. Probably, there is more to say, but for today I've said enough. Now for the the details of the installation: ok, campers, after a little soul-searching delay, I decided against posting a file containing the resources needed to modify a new system so that it works with the TECMAR-HardDrive. Reasoning: Tech Note #57 "Mac Plus Overview", page 18, describes the "INIT mechanism" and I quote: "When the system starts up, it looks for files with types INIT and RDEV in the system folder. If it finds any, it looks in those files for resources of type INIT. If it finds any of those, it executes them." Then, in the "December 1985 Software Supplement Additions ERRATA", page 5, it says: "Installer Script doesn't install DSAT 0 and INIT 31. The current Mac+ installation script "Mac Plus Update" doesn't install resources DSAT 0 or INIT 31. Thus disks that have been updated with that installation script comes up with "Disassembler Installed" when booting from the HD20 and never loads any file-based INITs. Note: as described in .. TechNote #57 under 'INIT Mechanism', INIT 31 in the System file looks for files of type INIT at boot time and executes INIT resources in any that it finds, allowing for driver installation at boot time without modification of the System file. [the first quote above shows that 31 was nowhere mentioned in TN#57] An installer script which installs INIT 31 correctly and additional information about thsi INIT 31 mechanism should be available in the near future. Developers who wish to make use of this INIT 31 mechanism should check for updates on ... the bboards .. or write to Apple. To make a long story short, keeping the TECMAR in a seperate resource file didn't work for me (maybe because there were not only INIT-resources involved, maybe because the TECMAR INIT resource was also a 31, originally, maybe I didn't do it right ...) but only caused the boot-process to hang up. So it's back to using ResEdit to 'Copy-and-Paste' the resources from old Tecmar-System-files to new ones. And even if I'd post a file with the TECMAR resources only, you'd still need to learn to use ResEdit to install them, so, I figured, why go out on a limb taking the risk of hearing from Tecmar's lawyers about posting their code ??!! instead, here is the recipe of what you need to do: With the Resource Editor of your choice (latest version I have seen carries the Version number 1.0d12, but many earlier ones will do fine) open the System-file in the System-folder on your Tecmar boot-floppy. You want to grab the following from there (and you can do that with a Copy and Paste): DRVR 20 (which is .TDISK driver) FIXX (which contains 2 items: 20 and 21) INIT 31 (warning: number clashes with a 31 in new Systems from Apple) ICN# 555 (the TECMAR HardDisk Icon) STR 555 (some string, which identifies the drive as 'MacDrive') Now, I recommend that you create a new file named TECMAR-System-Resources which you keep around handy for installing into future new System files from Apple. One by one, copy the items above from the old Tecmar-System and paste them into the new file. When quitting ResEdit you'll be prompted to SAVE this new file (which you want to do, of course). If you get prompted to SAVE the SYSTEM-file where we copied the resources from, say NO !! you accidentally and unintentionally modified something there, and you don't want to make this mistake permanent. (But if you set the 'physical write-protect tab on your floppy, you don't have to worry about this) To install the Tecmar resources into a System, first make a BACKUP of whatever you are trying to modify (don't come crying to me if you don't) and, again with ResEdit, access (open) the file with the TECMAR resources and the System-file you intend to install them in. As I hinted at above, you should inspect the system file first for any numbers that might clash before installing the resources. For example, before installing INIT 31, we have to renumber it to some unused number<31 (I used 30). This is done as follows: Select the Tecmar-INIT-31 (by clicking on it in the respective window) and use Get-Info from the Menu-bar (or the equivalent keyboard-cmd) which will open a window which allows you to modify the resource-number by simple editing; close that window again. Now COPY the Tecmar-INIT, select (again by clicking on it) the System-file and do a PASTE. Do this for all the TECMAR resources. Note that when you close the files or quit ResEdit, you'll again be prompted to SAVE the files. This time it is correct to approve saving the System-file, but (as we modified the number of the TECMAR-INIT) you may not want to save that change in order to keep the TECMAR-resources in their *original* state. However, if you expect to do a lot of installations, you may want to change that number once-and-for-all (or until your newly selected number clashes with one to be found in a future new System from Apple). One last hint. If you are sure that all the resource-#s in the file of TECMAR resources are unique, you can install all of them together, by selecting in ResEdit the TECMAR-file-name, COPY, then select the System-file and PASTE. Well, I walked the tightrope between saying "too much" and "too little"; your tolerance is appreciated, if I did not manage to 'hit the spot' according to your personal taste or need. Cheers, ---Werner PS: Tecmars around here have the tendency not to want to boot after being turned off - sometimes for hours. I recommend you familiarize your- self with the rythm of the blinking of the light on the front panel. Around here, we found that when the Tecmar misbehaves, a 'light pat on the top' is all that's needed. My guess is that the arm is stuck and a little mechanical encouragement makes it become 'unstuck'. I can tell by the blinking light on the Tecmar front-panel when this condition arises. This advice is free and without guarantees. If you break your Tecmar with "heavy-handedness" you certainly will find sympathy here, but noone to accept the blame. PSPS: why don't we all call Tecmar and tell them what we think of their "non-support" of HFS and lack of a newsletter and/or updates? (216)349-0600 TECMAR tech service
ix21@sdcc6.UUCP (David Whiteman) (05/26/86)
In article <3437@ut-ngp.UUCP> werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig) writes:
long article about how to make a Tecmar Boot up disc to allow a
Tecmar to run HFS.
I have found quite a different way to run HFS on a Tecmar.
Basically it is possible to convert the Tecmar to a SCSI drive very
cheaply (less than $20). After doing this one just plugs the Tecmar
into the SCSI port on the back of a Mac-Plus and <snap> you have a
much improved HFS drive. The problems with this method is that
unlike the other method you lose the ability to have volume
partitioning or an MFS Volume any more ... the Tecmar is treated
like one giant HFS volume. The advantages is that you now no longer
need a floppy to boot up the drive; you just turn on the Tecmar and
then the Mac. The other problem is that you need either a Mac-Plus
or an enhanced 512 with a third party SCSI port to use it.
If anyone wants to know how to make this modification send me a
letter and I will post the hardware modification. I am still trying
to perfect a software SCSI driver for the Tecmar; even though my
current driver works well and is faster than the old system, I know
it can run a lot faster.
BTW the previous poster recommends calling up Tecmar customer
support to complain. Don't bother they told me they no longer
support the drive after putting me on hold for 20 minutes.
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David Whiteman,
University of California, San Diego