avalon@coombs.anu.edu.au (Darren Reed) (06/22/91)
Is it possible from AmigaDos to access the hard disk partition used by Unix ?? Using NORMAL AmigaDos methods it should be well out of the way and inaccessable, but is it possible for someone to write a disk editor for the harddisk which bypasses all the normal library routines and get at the Unix partition ? If you can write a hard-drive library to respect certain boundries then it is possible to write one which ignores them. Its not likely that this sort of program would be commonly available, but if using the hard-drive is anything like using the floppy, what is there to stop someone saying "step out another track" past the AmigaDos partition to where Unix is ? -darren
crash@ckctpa.UUCP (Frank J. Edwards) (06/23/91)
In article <avalon.677572515@coombs> avalon@coombs.anu.edu.au (Darren Reed) writes: >Is it possible from AmigaDos to access the hard disk partition used >by Unix ?? Yes. > Using NORMAL AmigaDos methods it should be well out of the >way and inaccessable, but is it possible for someone to write a disk >editor for the harddisk which bypasses all the normal library routines >and get at the Unix partition ? Most disk editors do this. For instance, what library is used for accessing the hard drive under AmigaDOS if not the filesystem? Answer: scsi.device and the SCSIDirect standard. > If you can write a hard-drive library >to respect certain boundries then it is possible to write one which >ignores them. Its not likely that this sort of program would be >commonly available, but if using the hard-drive is anything like using >the floppy, what is there to stop someone saying "step out another track" >past the AmigaDos partition to where Unix is ? Nothing. >-darren The problem is when it comes time to interpret the information. Right now I have a 10MB partition which does not contain a filesystem. I use the Unix tar program (actually, pdtar) to create archives on that partition. Then, a somewhat modified version of the SCSIRD program I posted is used to read that hard drive partition and send the output to PIPE:tar -- at the same time I run TAR and use PIPE:tar as the input file. This makes it _real_ easy to move programs/data back and forth Especially useful since there seems to be some quirk of using my Viper with Amix, which I haven't been able to track down yet. "Ditto" has told me that there isn't supposed to be any state information maintained between open() and close() of the tape drive, but... My TCTL program will access the tape drive over and over through the /dev/scsi device, but the /dev/rmt/4* interface will only access the tape _once_ and refuse the next time -- until I reboot. Well, I may try using the kernel profiler to track what's happening to the tape drive -- I don't even know if the profiler feature is enabled, but we'll see. Which reminds me: no one has indicated where my source for SCSIRD or TCTL whould be posted -- is "alt.sources.amiga" good enough? -- Frank J. Edwards | "I did make up my own mind -- there 2677 Arjay Court | simply WASN'T ANY OTHER choice!" Palm Harbor, FL 34684-4504 | -- Me Phone (813) 786-3675 (voice) | Only Amiga Makes It Possible...