On Tue, 21 Mar 2000, jkunz@unixag-kl.fh-kl.de wrote :
> >%_
> 
> 
> 
> On 20 Mar, Chuck McManis wrote:
> 
> >    Run the PROM based formatter on the drive using "TEST 75" to the monitor.
> I never did this and had no problems connecting various disks from
> Fujitsu, Seagate, Quantum, IBM (including a 1,8GB 0664), ... to a
> VS3100m76. The only problematic disk I found is the IBM 0661. This disk
> is knowen to be problematic due to the SCSI implementation of the
> firmeware of the disk. (e.g. target initiated sync negotiation)
>
maybe I should keep my mouth shut if I am not sure what I am talking about but
my memories are that you had to reformat every drive when you moved them
around with those "old" controllers, where the controller was generating the
signal that actually went to the head. The clocking of the controller changed,
the signal changed slightly, so you low level formatted every time you moved
around (also most times worked without that but was not reliable).

on SCSI the drive gets a command, and pretty much formats the drive the same
way, so once the drive is formatted, now the best thing the format does is
rebuilding the bad block table. If the disk is from an other type of
system, the bad block list might have been used for data storage and it should
be rebuilt.

New drives transparently map errors, still some systems like to see the empty
bad block list, some systems verifies all blocks and  reserve bad areas
during the initialization and do not rely on bad block info from low level
format.

P.G.