> From port-vax-owner-clowenst=ucsd.edu@netbsd.org Thu Jun  8 18:37 PDT 2000
> Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 19:28:20 -0600 (MDT)
> From: "Clint Wolff (VAX collector)" <vaxman@uswest.net>
> X-Sender: vaxman@oldy.crwolff.com
> To: David Evans <dfevans@bbcr.uwaterloo.ca>
> cc: emanuel stiebler <emu@ecubics.com>, port-vax@netbsd.org
> Subject: Re: Block size on tape WAS :Re: TK50
> 
> 
> Unfortunatly, the TK50Z won't accept 512K as a block size (for reads
> or writes). IIRC 32K is the biggest....
> 
> clint

Interesting.  My recollection of early Ultrix 1.1 distribution tapes
(TK50) was that they had 1MB blocks for the main body of information.
I remember having to rewrite my tape-mapping program to accomodate
this.  But of course this was an internal TK50 drive on a VaxStation
II, not an external SCSI drive.

I believe that the block size went back down to 32K for Ultrix 1.2,
to allow using the same distribution image on VAX Unibus tape drives.


    carl

        carl lowenstein         marine physical lab     u.c. san diego
        {decvax|ucbvax} !ucsd!mpl!cdl                 cdl@mpl.ucsd.edu
                                                  clowenstein@ucsd.edu