neese@adaptx1.UUCP (02/05/91)
>/* ---------- "Formatting SCSI with Adaptec Contro" ---------- */ >I need to know (in general) how to format a SCSI disk with an Adaptec >1542 controller. I really don't even know how low-level formats work for >SCSI drives...... any helpful information? Two ways: 1) Use the internal BIOS utilities located at offset 6 (i.e. dc00:6), when invoked with debug from MS-DOS. 2) Use an external formatter. A couple of available. One off of the Adaptec bulletin board in CA. And the other is available off of adaptex via anonymous UUCP. It is built into SCSICNTL. As a side note. Remember all SCSI drives come pre-formatted from the drive manufacturer. Some of them, like the Quantum drives, won't format when asked to. Although, you can force a Quantum to format by setting the fill data pattern bit in the unique mode page, via SCSICNTL and then issue a format command to it and it will then format the disk. The advantage of this on a Quantum is it will reorder the error map and increase performance when switching from a bad block to a good block. Roy Neese Adaptec Senior SCSI Applications Engineer UUCP @ neese@adaptex uunet!cs.utexas.edu!utacfd! {nominil,merch,cpe}!adaptex!neese uunet!mlite!adaptex!neese
patf@hprpcd.rose.hp.com (pat fung) (02/08/91)
Can you post the command sequency to force the Quantum SCSI drives to
format itself? What is the bit pattern?x
I have couple of Quantum drives that the parameter block were screw up
and telling the host funny numbers of heads and cylinders.
Thanks,
Pat Fungaris@tabbs.UUCP (Aris Stathakis) (02/10/91)
In <15450003@hprpcd.rose.hp.com> patf@hprpcd.rose.hp.com (pat fung) writes: > Can you post the command sequency to force the Quantum SCSI drives to >format itself? What is the bit pattern?x I believe the command sequence (from debug in MS-DOS) is: g=DC00:6 Though I could be wrong... > I have couple of Quantum drives that the parameter block were screw up >and telling the host funny numbers of heads and cylinders. Ya, I know the feeling :-) Aris -- Aris Stathakis | Bang: ..!uunet!ddsw1!olsa99!tabbs!aris or aris@tabbs.UUCP - - - This signature intentionally left blank. - - -
brando@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu (Brandon Brown) (02/12/91)
aris@tabbs.UUCP (Aris Stathakis) writes: >In <15450003@hprpcd.rose.hp.com> patf@hprpcd.rose.hp.com (pat fung) writes: >> Can you post the command sequency to force the Quantum SCSI drives to >>format itself? What is the bit pattern?x >I believe the command sequence (from debug in MS-DOS) is: >g=DC00:6 >Though I could be wrong... Read your host adaptec manual, this could be any number of addresses. The default is, I think, DCOO, but there can be others. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Brandon Brown | Internet: brando@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu | | Coordinated Science Laboratory | UUCP: uiucuxc!addamax!brando!brown | | University of Illinois | CompuServe: 73040,447 | | Urbana, IL 61801 | GEnie: xmg23356, macbrando | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+