FmtSCSI.TXT - FmtSCSI.BAS FAQ, June 1, 1998

FmtSCSI is a DECB program originally written by Tony DiStefano
to format hard disks connected to his "Hard Disk II Adapter"
and his 4 in 1 adapter. The program was later superseded by
tools running under OS-9.

The program was greatly expanded when a ST157N hard drive from
Seagate would not format 256 byte sectors.

The drive would respond to everything but the change to 256
byte sectors, even though the drive manual clearly stated it would.

The drive was finally formatted with 256 byte sectors by
a kind tech over the hill at Seagate after discussions which
were supported by the results of FmtSCSI.

The drive failed before a reformat using this program was ever
needed, thus FmtSCSI NEVER did a 256 byte format.

Questions:

How do I load the program.

     After copying the program to a DECB disk do the following.

     1. type 'PCLEAR1            <CR>'

     2. type 'LOAD "FMTSCSI.BAS" <CR>"

     3. Modify line 9130 if you have the 4 in 1 adapter.

     4. Save the program to a different disk.
        Do NOT use the ',A' addition to the save command,
        the program loads much faster in tokenized form.

     5. RUN the program.

Can I use the program on a CoCo 1 or 2.

     Yes, just remove the CoCo3 80 col. screen extensions.

Why do I have to do this myself.

     A Hard drive implies OS-9 Level-II running on a CoCo3,
     without this combination it is like adding a jet engine
     to a pogo stick. Doable, but not too useful.

I am intimated by the size of the program.

     GOOD!

I am scared by the warning messages.

     You should be.

The program does not work, hangs, produces only error messages
and so on.

     With out the drive, the HD adapter, the CoCo all working
     nothing can be done.

     The most common problem is PARITY turned ON.

     The DISTO adapter does NOT generate parity,
     a drive that has parity turned on will not respond.

     Check this first!


. Do I presume correctly that I _do_not_ change line #9130
since I _do_not_ have 4N1?

     The DISTO Supercontroller II HD adapter has only the SCSI BUS and
     RS232 connectors. If yours is the same, then no change.

Can I address a drive with a SCSI ID not 0 (ZERO).

     Yes, change line 310 as follows.

     1 for SCSI ID = 0, 2 for SCSI ID = 1, 4 for SCSI ID = 2,
     8 for SCSI ID = 3.

     Only 8 devices on a 8 bit SCSI path, when the data bus width
     is doubled then you can have up to 16 devices.
     Each device must have its own bit for arbitration

Can I format 256 or 1024 byte blocks.

     Probable NOT, most drives today only allow 512 byte sectors.

Can I format 512 byte blocks.

     Maybe, but newer and larger drives may not allow a
     low level format. Just do a logical format.

What about the "data phase ended early I=56" messages I get.

     Not to worry, a real driver stops reading on buss signals,
     and is not troubled.

I get "rel wait timeout", "break @ 2010" on many functions.

     FmtSCSI was written using a Seagate 1990 manual,
     the drive may implement a newer standard.

     FmtSCSI drives the SCSI buss so slowly that it is a
     wonder that it works. Like towing a BlackBird with a turtle.

Any good Web sites for SCSI info?

     http://web.ansi.org/default.htm
     http://www.symbios.com/x3t10/

     However you will be disappointed, only working drafts
     are available online.

     ANSI Document Store: Shopper Lookup
     http://165.254.114.11/AnsiDocStore/shopper_lookup.asp

     Is where you pay for the printed copies.

     SCSI FAQ Frequently Asked Questions List for comp.periphs.scsi

     The comp.periphs.scsi FAQ is posted to Usenet during the first
     week of each month.

     http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/scsi-faq/ OR
     http://www.ultranet.com/~gfield/gary/scsi.html OR
     http://fieldnet.ne.mediaone.net/gary/scsi.html




                June 1, 1998.             A. Nani Mouse 9805301322