Writing HP cartridge tapes on a Sun 3

[Frank Wales]

In article <373 at mmlai.UUCP> burzio at mmlai.UUCP (Anthony Burzio) writes:
>In article <63050 at sun.uucp>, swilson%thetone at Sun.COM (Scott Wilson) writes:
>>In article <614 at ednor.UUCP> cgf at ednor.UUCP (Chris Faylor) writes:
>>>Does anybody know if it is possible to produce a tar tape on a Sun
>>>that is readable on an HP 300?  It seems that the HP uses some kind
>>>of strange format...
>> 
>> I tried this for a while one day and finally gave up.  I think
>> HP uses some different kind of format.
>
>I was told by HP at a UNIX class that their file system for UNIX is
>actually built up an an older file system.

This was true on the now-obsolete series 500 machines, which used SDF
(Structured Directory Format), but the current 300 and 800 series machines
both use the Berkeley-McCusick Fast File System.

>The UNIX volume is a file in this other system.  Without this file system
>on the tape, you are out of luck.  Of course, HP didn't throw in a program
>to FORMAT this older file system, therefore you have to buy their tapes...

Hmm, not exactly.  The cartridges HP use are pre-formatted from the
manufacturer for HP's use (HP doesn't make them; if you look carefully
through the clear plastic case, you can see who does) -- if you wipe the
tape's formatting off, even HP can't fix it (allegedly); it has to go
back to the maker.  Hence no formatting program.

The main problem with HP's cartridges is that HP runs them through
the tape drive mechanism the other way from everyone else using this
tape size, so stick a Sun tape (say) into an HP drive, and wheee! it
runs off the end of the tape looking for the start-of-tape marker, 
because on HP's cartridge, it's in the other direction along the tape.  If
you have an HP tape and a non-HP tape, compare them and see which reel
contains more tape when wound to the start.

>> In short we gave up and tried to transfer data with ethernet, of course
>> the HP was thin ethernet and the Sun thick so ...

Did you try using uucp over RS232?  Slow, but reliable.  :-)


--
Frank Wales, Development Engineer,     [frank at zen.co.uk<->mcvax!ukc!zen!frank]
Zengrange Ltd., Greenfield Rd., Leeds, ENGLAND, LS9 8DB. (+44) 532 489048 x220