Subject: Re: Problem writing to TK50 when system is busy.
To: Boris Gjenero <bgjenero@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>
From: Tom I Helbekkmo <tih@Hamartun.Priv.NO>
List: port-vax
Date: 01/05/1998 10:18:48
On Sun, 4 Jan 1998, Boris Gjenero wrote:

> It seems that TK50 writes are unreliable when there is lots of other
> stuff going on.  I get the following message:
> 
> Jan  4 12:20:45 anoat /netbsd: mt0: drive 0 soft error datagram
> (continuing): unit 0: tape transfer error, grp 0x100 event 0150: data
> error (sync timeout) (code 8, subcode 3)

No problem.  Event 0150 is simply an indication that the tape stopped
streaming (lost synchronization), and had to back up a bit to resynch.
It's a perfectly normal event, and you must expect it when the machine
is heavily loaded while writing to tape.  No data is lost.

Of course, proper ordering of boards on the Q-bus can limit the number
of these you see.  Your tape controller should be right up behind the
memory boards, preceded by your DHV11 if you have one, and followed by
your ethernet board, especially if that's a DEQNA.  TSV11 goes before
TQK50, if you have both.

Anyone have more ordering hints?  (And are they in the FAQ?)

-tih
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