This isn't technically a Lisp question, but I guess this is the best
place for it.
I play with a 3670 with an eagle (fuji m2351) which is becoming
increasingly sickly. I can still boot the machine (8.3), but more and
more unreadable blocks are appearing in the LMFS.
I'd like to be able to format another disk and put the basic stuff
onto it so I can boot it and restore the tape backups I have. It
isn't clear from the docs how to do this, or even if it's really
possible. The best I can gather is that `Disk Format' is meant to
format the disk and place the FEP FS onto it, so I can then copy
things onto that.
What I've done so far is: attach the new disk as unit 1, and then do a
`Set Disk Type' to tell it it's an eagle, and then do a `Disk Format'.
This makes formatting noises, and eventually returns. If I now try
and read the label it says (after a long time of grovelling the disk)
that it can't read a LABL block (or something like that).
I tried, from lisp, doing a (SI:WRITE-FEP-LABEL 1), but this just
hangs after it's done prompting.
So I'm stuck. Does anyone know how to do this, or even if it's
doable?
Thanks,
--tim
From: Mike McDonald
Subject: Re: Formatting disks on Symbolics 36xx?
Date:
Message-ID: <4hqr5r$ma1@fido.asd.sgi.com>
In article <················@scarp.ed.ac.uk>,
···@ed.ac.uk (Tim Bradshaw) writes:
>This isn't technically a Lisp question, but I guess this is the best
>place for it.
>
>I play with a 3670 with an eagle (fuji m2351) which is becoming
>increasingly sickly. I can still boot the machine (8.3), but more and
>more unreadable blocks are appearing in the LMFS.
>
>I'd like to be able to format another disk and put the basic stuff
>onto it so I can boot it and restore the tape backups I have. It
>isn't clear from the docs how to do this, or even if it's really
>possible. The best I can gather is that `Disk Format' is meant to
>format the disk and place the FEP FS onto it, so I can then copy
>things onto that.
>
>What I've done so far is: attach the new disk as unit 1, and then do a
>`Set Disk Type' to tell it it's an eagle, and then do a `Disk Format'.
>This makes formatting noises, and eventually returns. If I now try
>and read the label it says (after a long time of grovelling the disk)
>that it can't read a LABL block (or something like that).
>
>I tried, from lisp, doing a (SI:WRITE-FEP-LABEL 1), but this just
>hangs after it's done prompting.
>
>So I'm stuck. Does anyone know how to do this, or even if it's
>doable?
>
>Thanks,
>
>--tim
Boy does this bring back memories. Yes, it's possible. Not easy but
possible. From memory, you have to create a file that contains a list
of defects for the new drive. Don't screw this up! Check it a
gazillion times. Have someone else check it a gazillion times. Once
you have that, if I remember correctly, it was fairly straight forward
to format the disk. I think I have the exact instructions and code on
a tape at home. Unfortunately, my console is dead so I can't
boot. Fortunately, a new console is suppose to be in the mail. If I
can get my machine up, I try to post the instructions if someone else
doesn't in the meantime.
Mike McDonald
·······@engr.sgi.com
From: Luca Pisati
Subject: Re: Formatting disks on Symbolics 36xx?
Date:
Message-ID: <3144FCB0.7DE1@nichimen.com>
Mike McDonald wrote:
>
> In article <················@scarp.ed.ac.uk>,
> ···@ed.ac.uk (Tim Bradshaw) writes:
> >This isn't technically a Lisp question, but I guess this is the best
> >place for it.
> >
> >I play with a 3670 with an eagle (fuji m2351) which is becoming
> >increasingly sickly. I can still boot the machine (8.3), but more and
> >more unreadable blocks are appearing in the LMFS.
> >
> >What I've done so far is: attach the new disk as unit 1, and then do a
> >`Set Disk Type' to tell it it's an eagle, and then do a `Disk Format'.
> >This makes formatting noises, and eventually returns. If I now try
> >and read the label it says (after a long time of grovelling the disk)
> >that it can't read a LABL block (or something like that).
> >
> >I tried, from lisp, doing a (SI:WRITE-FEP-LABEL 1), but this just
> >hangs after it's done prompting.
> >
> >So I'm stuck. Does anyone know how to do this, or even if it's
> >doable?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >--tim
>
> Boy does this bring back memories. Yes, it's possible. Not easy but
> possible. From memory, you have to create a file that contains a list
> of defects for the new drive.
> Mike McDonald
> ·······@engr.sgi.com
I'm still doing Symbolics format, but on XL's and I never did on a 3600.
If you need help from the point after you format the disk on, I can give.
You probably need to have a file with the bad-blocks in it, and, if it is like
on XL's it has a specific format. I have one for XL's around. I'll try to get
it in nex days.
The formatting procedure should be anyway:
1) Format the disk using the bad-block list (maybe not even necessary if the disk
is already storing one).
2) Create Initial FEP Filesystem (at least on the XL's you do from Lisp, while I
think on the 3600 you do from FEP). This creates the Disk label and all the
FEP specific files. After you should be able to reboot with the new disk mounted.
A big problem is that you can have on a machine only ONE Lmfs, so it is very slow
to copy things out of a damaged Lmfs on Tape and restore on a new one.
At Symbolics they had a system called DIAGS, which was useful for doing disk test
and formatting (on XL's at least)
If you have an Internet connection to your 3600, I can maybe send you some tools
I developed for speeding up these kind of setups, but I couldn't get this stuff
before that a week probably. Let me know.
--
Luca Pisati Nichimen Graphics Inc.
12555 West Jefferson Blvd. Suite 285, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: (310) 577-0500; Fax: (310) 577-0577 ······@nichimen.com (internet)