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Xref: sserve comp.os.os2.programmer.misc:2557 comp.os.linux.development:945 comp.os.minix:22651 comp.periphs:4294 comp.unix.bsd:12604 comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit:4364 comp.os.386bsd.development:1201 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:67594 comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware:4192 Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer.misc,comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.minix,comp.periphs,comp.unix.bsd,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.os.386bsd.development,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!jmonroy From: jmonroy@netcom.com (Jesus Monroy Jr) Subject: QIC Vol.1 Special Edition #5 Message-ID: <jmonroyCD4vCw.313@netcom.com> Keywords: QIC News Notes SCSI Tape drives Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1993 10:19:43 GMT Lines: 204 Released +----------------------------------------+ QQQQQQ II CCCCCC QQ QQ II CC N E W S and N O T E S QQ QQ II CC for 386bsd-Linux-Mach-OS/2 QQ QQ II CC (and sometimes minix & coherent) QQQQQQ II CCCCCC Vol.1 Special Edition #5 QQ (r) Quarter Inch Cartridge (Tape Drives) +----------------------------------------+ News about QIC-40/80 From the desk of the quasi-editor-in-chief: "Just because I am numbering these things don't get the idea that I am going to do any more of these". (Disclaimers move to bottom.. getting to big.) (crowd:YEAH!!) *=======================================* | Tabloid Contents | *=======================================* | <1>__ The Meeting itself | | <2>__ The Responses to Requests | | <M>__ Meaningless dribble. | | <N>__ NEXT ISSUE | *=======================================* hint: search for "<?>__" <1>__ The Meeting itself For those with that indescribable quench to get more information on QIC, here it is. The meeting notes will be mailed on Tuesday, till then here are some of my notes. On Wensday, 09-01-1993, the Technical Committee for the QIC meet. There was some discussion on various uninteresting items before the various subcommittees reported. Here is a breakdown of the reports by committee. Also, I had to leave early and missed the last half of the "Minicartridge" meeting and the entire "Cartridge" meeting. ID (Industry Development) committee ----------------------------------- A Buyers' Guide will be available later this year. In addition, a Market Perspective - Why buy QIC - will also be available. A set of European conference is also planned for the end of January and early February. Lastly, the QIC group is still waiting for ANSI approval of a SCSI II implementation. At this time a rumor ensued that possibly the SCSI-II standards would not be published. The speculation followed that this was possible because of SCSI-III is in progress. A member of the SCSI-II committee was present and quickly quashed the rumor by stating that the editor and some members were in a disagreement as to the semantics of SCSI-II and that ANSI documentation would be available, in time. Central Point Software suggested some possible new additions to the QIC "standard" procedures. Namely, that each QIC device should have REV (revision) query support built-in to the firmware, so that software designers can take full advantage of any new features available. The idea was sent to committee and is scheduled for full discussion later this year. At the same time a suggestion was made that a "Revision History Page" now be made part of all QIC printed standards. The action was voted on immediately and history pages will now be a part of all QIC standards published in the future. A retroactive history scan was requested so that previous QIC documents could have a history page. The item was shelved for full discussion later this year. Widetape subcommittee --------------------- The Technical committee approved the lock out feature as proposed. The question as to 3M's patent on the lock out feature was resolved. Interface and format subcommittee --------------------------------- Some SCSI drives will have appendable point for file marks as an option. A previous proposals had it as required for all new drives. It was marked as optional to preserve the usefulness of units already in field service. Minicartridge subcommittee -------------------------- The proposal was passed to add hardware recognition of a cleaning tape via a physical cutout. IOMeg had concerns with SCSI interface for the proposed 93-55C. Once completed the drive will be a 750 Mega-byte unit. Their concerns were: 1. The drive may not technically feasible. 2. Without the upward compatible 2 Gigabyte drive specs this drive would be difficult to sell. 3. The overlap on read/write track seems to be excessive; the standard calls for servo tracks to be used. 4. Writing to the physical edge of the tape may make data unreadable in the future, if it is written at all. The proposed 400' minicartridge was left as an open item. I don't have any copies of these proposed changes. So, the alternatives are - wait till the changes are done and approved _or_ write the QIC Facilitator and ask for a copy of the proposals. (See QIC News and Notes vol.1 no.1 for the Facilitator's address and phone number.) --------------------------oOo---------------------------- <2>__ The Responses to Requests 1) Ask for a field in the QIC-80 to indicate an experimental file system on the tape. Response: More than one member of the QIC group suggest that for experimental file systems the VENDOR UNIQUE BIT be used in the Volume Information Segment. Please refer to the QIC document that applies to you. For QIC-40/80 tapes it is the QIC-40/80 documents. (More on how to apply this in regular issues of QIC NEWS and Notes.) 2) Ask that all QIC specifications and standards be keep in electronic format. Response: The request was met with enthusiasm by the facilitator and the people at Wangtek and Archive. A promise was made to look into the feasibility of the situation. They asked me to call them on this later this month. 3) Ask that the Facilitator keep the standards information on an accessible resource (BBS, FTP, UUCP, e-mail, etc.). Response: As mentioned they will look in to the matter, but of course for us FTP would be the most acceptable solution. etext.archive.umich.edu will get the first opportunity to be the FTP site, but in the eventuality that they do not have the facility for this other sites will be solicited. <M>__ Meaningless dribble. "My idea of the perfect date is: I want to take them out. Take them home. I want to cum on their back. Steal $30,$40 dollars out of their purse. Crawl out a window and never call them again." -Sam Kinison -Have you seen me lately? A 10 to the 11th power bit memory Resource was available in 1960 at LLNL (Lawerance Livermore National Laboratory). GOB - Generous Omnipotent Benefactor - The operating system in use at LLNL in 1963. In russia, please spell backwards. ___________________________________________________________________ <N>__ NEXT ISSUE o.... "Documentation. Us and Them." o.... QIC devices on the port/IRQ level. o.... "Update on the tape drives that work!" ==================================================== "QIC" is a registered trademark of the Quarter-Inch Cartridge Drive Standards, Inc. (QIC). This publication is not affiliated with "QIC" or "QIC DATA NEWS". All comments, issues, and errors are only attributable to the quasi-editor-in-chief. Back issues of QIC NEWS and NOTES are available via "anonymous" FTP at etext.archive.umich.edu in /pub/Zines/QIC-News. IF you have specific questions, don't be afraid to send them to: jmonroy@netcom.com subject: [QIC NEWS and NOTES: question] ___________________________________________________________________________ Jesus Monroy Jr jmonroy@netcom.com /386BSD/device-drivers /fd /qic /clock /documentation ___________________________________________________________________________ :