Using a SCSI tape drive

[Haydn Huntley]

In article <1990Dec09.204024.14866 at jpradley.jpr.com> jpr at jpradley.UUCP (Jean-Pierre Radley) writes:
| In article <77287 at iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> huntley at copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Haydn Huntley) writes:
| >In article <1990Dec09.073155.10343 at jpradley.jpr.com> jpr at jpradley.UUCP (Jean-Pierre Radley) writes:
| >| In article <77205 at iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> huntley at copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Haydn Huntley) writes:
| >| >Does anyone know how to use a SCSI tape drive with SCO Xenix 386 or
| >| >any other version of SCO Xenix?  I need to know what the device name
| >| >is (ie: /dev/rct), and it's major and minor device numbers (which ls
| >| >-l would tell).  I'm stuck!  Can anyone help?
| >| 
| >| Any reason you couldn't just run "/etc/mkdev tape" and follow the menu
| >| prompts?
| >
| >When I run "mkdev tape" it doesn't have an option for adding a SCSI
| >tape drive! 
| 
| I don't know what version of SCO Xenix you have, since you didn't mention, but
| I have 2.3.2, and the script for sure have a choice #4 under Install, which
| reads SCSI.
| 
| Unless it's because I started out with 2.2.4, and got the GT
| upgrade, which is designed to work with SCSI. If your version 
| of the kernel doesn't have the SCSI drivers, defining a device
| is the least of your problems.

I hacked my /usr/lib/mkdev/tape file to put in option #4 to add a SCSI
drive, but it still didn't work!  So today I called SCO Tech Support,
and they told me that I had bought an old version, and that my version
didn't have the SCSI drivers!  No wonder it didn't work!  However the
manuals I have, in several places say that the SCSI drivers should be
in there.  SCO said that they'd let me upgrade to the latest version
for $320, and since we don't seem to have any other options, we gave
them our credit card.  The personnel at SCO were very nice and
helpful, and isolated the problem within 15 minutes!  This is in
contrast to our mail order dealer, Software Add-Ons, who wouldn't even
admit that they'd sold us a product that was 8 months old!  Both of
the expensive software packages we bought from them were old versions,
and in both cases they were quite unhelpful.  I am writing this to
warn others from purchasing from them!  Their prices are pretty good,
but their service is terribly, and in our case they sold us old junk
which has been expensive to upgrade!  I wish I'd purchased from a more
honest dealer!

--Haydn


;;  *****************************************************
;;  *  Haydn Huntley    huntley at copper.ucs.indiana.edu  *
;;  *****************************************************