[comp.sys.sun] 3.5" floppy software on Sun 3/80 or SPARCstation

gjw@grucis.anu.oz.au (Graham Williams) (01/28/90)

Is there any software available for reading and writing 3.5" floppies
using the internal drives of a Sun 3/80 or SPARCstation, which allows a
variety of formats to be handled? In particular, I would like to read and
write IBM PC 1.44Meg and 720K floppies, as well as AMIGA 880K disks.
(Presumably one can't handle Macintosh floppies.)

Will summarise if appropriate.

Graham Williams, Computer Science, Australian National University
GPO Box 4 Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. Phone +61 6 249 4625
gjw@anucsd.oz.au

hollaar@basset.utah.edu (Lee Hollaar) (02/04/90)

In article <4521@brazos.Rice.edu> gjw@grucis.anu.oz.au (Graham Williams) writes:
>X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 16, message 3 of 18
>
>Is there any software available for reading and writing 3.5" floppies
>using the internal drives of a Sun 3/80 or SPARCstation, which allows a
>variety of formats to be handled? In particular, I would like to read and
>write IBM PC 1.44Meg and 720K floppies, as well as AMIGA 880K disks.

We distribute just such a program.  It handles both PC formats, but the
the Amiga one.  Subdirectories are handled, and it can convert between the
PC and Unix line termination conventions on the fly.  Versions are
available for the the 3/80 and 4/60.  There is a nominal license fee per
node.  For more information, you can write to:

       PCdisk Information
       Contexture, Inc.
       Post Office Box 58721
       Salt Lake City UT  84158
or send email to:
       hollaar@basset.utah.edu

tzeng@miro.berkeley.edu (02/05/90)

I don't have any tool to read IBMPC's floppy on SPARC but I do have
program to read/write floppy in SPARC's TAR format on a IBMPC.  It's
called "PAX.ARC" and I got it from simtel20.arpa (pd1:<msdos.filutl>).  I
think it is also available on other BBS.

Ping-San.

gjw@grucis.anu.oz.au (Graham Williams) (03/11/90)

A little while ago I requested information regarding the ability to read
and write IBM PC 1.44 Meg and 720 K 3.5" floppies on Sun 3/80 and
SPARCstations. A summary of responses follows. Three alternatives were
suggested. The first is a system distributed for a nominal fee from
hollaar@basset.utah.edu. The second is a patch to mtools from
viktor@math.Princeton.EDU, and the third is to use DOS windows from Sun.
The patch to mtools may be appearing on one of the sources groups soon. I
now have DOS windows myself and that works, but for general use I am
awaiting the patches to mtools, which should be able to be modified to
handle Amiga disks. I have not followed up the first alternative. Hope
this helps others.