pb%camjenny@ucl-cs.arpa (02/02/84)
From: Piete Brooks <pb%camjenny@ucl-cs.arpa> Is there REALLY no workable driver for TU58s ? SOMEONE out there must have done the work already ..... Piete.
walsh%bbn-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (02/02/84)
From: Bob Walsh <walsh@bbn-unix> At Harvard, software was developed to use tu58s connected to tty (dz or dh) lines. It uses tp format for the tapes, I believe. The software works o.k., and could be modified for other directory types. (I suppose it's not much good unless you have a spare port and TU58 or method to switch the TU58 to the port, though.) A fair number of students use them for storing data, and the TU58 drives are located out by the terminals. The main problem with TU58s is buffering. The dl doesn't provide much, a dz or Able dh provides more. Using one of these communications boards is the solution to TU58S. If you're interested in the tp software, contact Glen Dudek or John Park at the Harvard Science Center. Re-cabling to a dh port and renaming devices you could try on your own. bob walsh
rbbb%rice@sri-unix.UUCP (02/02/84)
From: David Chase <rbbb@rice> Yes, the VMS tu58 driver works great. The problem is that the tu58 expects the os to keep up with it, and unix doesn't, because unix can't. One "solution" (I have heard) is to filch some of the tu58 guts from a 730; they are different, because a 730 cannot, period, keep up with a tu58, and DEC therefore modified the tu58 to support some sort of "shut up, stupid" protocol. drc
guyton%rand-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (02/03/84)
From: James_Guyton <guyton@rand-unix> The rumors that "unix can't" are interesting. We talk to our 750's console tu58 all the time; works great. unix 4.1bsd. We had to fix up the device driver plus fix some firmware in the 750 cpu itself. Mike O'Brien did a lot of the work, I'll let him respond in depth when he gets back in town next week. -- Jim