jkeegan@hawk.ulowell.edu (Jeff Keegan) (09/02/89)
I've been waiting to ask this for a while actually, but I've been about 200-300 messages backlogged on both comp.sys.mac and comp.sys.mac.programmer to be able to keep up.. I have a question about the SCSI interface. I imagine it could sound quite naive but I'll ask it anyway, at the risk of sounding like an idiot.. We have a few TK50 drives (for various vax systems) lying around gathering dust. They have a SCSI connection on the back. Now up until now I've never really thought about how "standard" SCSI was.. is it the protocol as well as the hardware connection? I have the cables, that's no problem. Basically I'm wondering if it will work as easy as that (I think not, though I'd be pleased to find out otherwise), or if software would have to be written. If the latter is the case, how big a project would it be? I'd like to imagine that if there is some special protocol on the Vax side that Dec must provide SOME documentation on it.. and the Mac side would probably be at least partially covered in Inside Mac IV or V, correct? If anyone has any information on text that could help me in this project, please forward it along to me. It seems such a waste with them sitting here and all. ..Jeff Keegan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Jeff Keegan | I clutch the wire fence until my fingers bleed | | jkeegan@hawk.ulowell.edu | A wound that will not heal | |----------------------------| A heart that cannot feel | | This space intentionally | Hoping that the horror will receed | | left blank | Hoping that tomorrow we'll all be freed -RUSH | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
phil@vaxphw.dec.com (Phil Hunt) (09/03/89)
In article <14733@swan.ulowell.edu>, jkeegan@hawk.ulowell.edu (Jeff Keegan) writes... }We have a few TK50 drives (for various vax systems) lying around gathering }dust. They have a SCSI connection on the back. Now up until now I've never }really thought about how "standard" SCSI was.. is it the protocol as well as }the hardware connection? I have the cables, that's no problem. Basically I'm }wondering if it will work as easy as that (I think not, though I'd be }pleased to find out otherwise), or if software would have to be written. }If the latter is the case, how big a project would it be? I'd like to }imagine that if there is some special protocol on the Vax side that Dec must }provide SOME documentation on it.. and the Mac side would probably be at }least partially covered in Inside Mac IV or V, correct? } Hi, I have been playing with connecting TZK50 tape drives to the Mac. The SCSI seems to be just fine.....Fastback II sees the drive and understands when a tape is loaded/unloaded or write protected, but fails with errors when it spins the tape (yes, it does start the tape spinnning). Retrospect does NOT even recognize the drive, SCSIProbe CDEV shows it is tape, but the manufaturere and version is bogus.... I don't know how hard it would be to write s/w/ to run it...I THINK (notice I am guessing here), that the SCSI format command is being returned as 'Unknown command' instead of just 'Completed' and that might be confusing Fastback II ================================================================== Phil Hunt "Wherever you go, there you are!!!" Digital Equipment Corporation Phone: (508)486-2164 ENET: VAXPHW::PHIL USENET: phil@vaxphw.enet.dec.com MOREUSENET: phil%vaxphw.dec@decwrl.enet.dec.com EVENMORE: ....!decwrl!dec-vaxphw!phil