mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) (10/08/90)
I'm moving from a XENIX 2.3.2 system to an ODT system. The old system ran XENIX 2.3.2 GT and used a Cipher 150MKII SCSI tape drive to write 150MB DC6150 cartridge tapes (QIC-150, I think). The target system has a Archive Scorpion 2150S running off an Adaptec 1542B controller (which also supports the primary drive). The tape drive is recognized by the Adaptec (correctly). The tape unit rewinds and retensions tapes correctly, but has yet to read any tape (DC600A or DC6150) yet. XENIX tapes start off correctly but terminate with a checksum error, very quickly. The drive appears to be installed correctly according to "mkdev scsi" and "mkdev tape" (at least it's being recognized). So far my best guess is that I have a defective unit; any other ideas?
mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) (10/08/90)
In article <62912@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) writes: >I'm moving from a XENIX 2.3.2 system to an ODT system. The old system >ran XENIX 2.3.2 GT and used a Cipher 150MKII SCSI tape drive to write >150MB DC6150 cartridge tapes (QIC-150, I think). The target system >has a Archive Scorpion 2150S running off an Adaptec 1542B controller >(which also supports the primary drive). More information: I changed the buffer to 32K and the unit now reads one DC6150 tape correctly and writes a DC600 60MB tape correctly, as advertised. I wrote the backups onto DC6320 tapes (they were what I had and the Cipher accepted them) and am beginning to suspect that the media is the problem. SCSICNTL.EXE recognizes the tape drive and seems to think everything is OK. Sytos which worked with the Cipher tape drive no longer functions, however; apparently the 1542B and the 1540 are different enough to make a Sytos upgrade necessary. -- Mike Squires (mikes@iuax.cs.indiana.edu) Phn: 812 855 3974 (w) 812 333 6564 (h) mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408
ronald@robobar.co.uk (Ronald S H Khoo) (10/08/90)
mikes@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) writes: [ about not being able to read DC600 tapes written on his old machine on his new one ] > The drive appears to be installed correctly according to "mkdev scsi" and > "mkdev tape" (at least it's being recognized). So far my best guess is that > I have a defective unit; any other ideas? If I were you, I'd have *both* drives checked for alignment. The particular technology of design for these tape drives makes it nigh impossible to tell which drive is out of alignment. I do it by having a "voting" system consisting of a pile of tapes written on over half a dozen different systems, and I read every single tape in every single drive I get through. Many fail and have to be sent home for re-alignment :-( It's sad. In this particular area, the IRWIN mini-cartidges are much better -- they are self-aligning. Do let us know what happens! Oh, BTW, is sir-alan up yet ? -- ronald@robobar.co.uk +44 81 991 1142 (O) +44 71 229 7741 (H)