[comp.periphs.scsi] TEAC FD-235JS Format peculiarities

Harvey_Taylor@mindlink.bc.ca (Harvey Taylor) (06/04/91)

    On the way to writing a driver, I am trying to write a format utility
 for a TEAC FD235-JS SCSI floppy. So far I have got a variety of commands
 to work. In particular: TEST_UNIT_READY, REQUEST_SENSE, INQUIRY,
 READ_CAPACITY, MODE_SELECT, SEND DIAGNOSTIC (Self Test), MODE_SENSE, START
 UNIT, & STOP UNIT are all working. I have not tested the other commands
 supported.
    However I cannot seem to FORMAT. I keep getting MEDIUM ERROR in the
 Request Sense Key afterwards, with the TEAC specific additional info of
 MEDIUM FORMAT CORRUPTED. It does this with previously formatted (ie known
 good) disks as well. The funny thing is that the drive only tries for
 a second or two before giving up.
    I do not have the TEAC FC-1 docs yet. They are ordered & should show up
 soon. However I wonder if what I am doing makes SCSI sense. Thus far, to
 format I have tried three techniques:

    MODE_SELECT         VERIFY_STATE        VERIFY STATE
    FORMAT              START_UNIT          MODE_SELECT
                        VERIFY STATE        START_UNIT
                        MODE_SELECT         VERIFY_STATE
                        FORMAT              FORMAT
                        STOP_UNIT           STOP_UNIT

    I see in the SCSI-2 spec, that if a device says it is ANSI 1 in the
 Inquiry field, the format requirements are vendor unique. However is there
 any common sequence of commands used to format?

    Has anybody got any idea what is going on?
    -het

   "With the first link, a chain is forged.
    The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden,
    the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." - Satie

        Harvey Taylor      Meta Media Productions
        uunet!van-bc!rsoft!mindlink!Harvey_Taylor
                    a186@mindlink.bc.ca