using a BOL

[barmar@Think.COM (Barry Margolin)]

    Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1992 00:15 EST
    From: Scott_Busse%mindlink.bc.ca@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM (Scott Busse)

    In an attempt to repair the EMD368 disk drive
    on a 3650, I borrowed a Breath of Life tape
    from UBC. The machine the drive is installed
    in was last running genera 7.1 with a version
    g206 fep proms (I've never had this machine
    booted beyond the fep, BTW). The label on the
    BOL tape says "BOL - TAPE  CART:18 - G206",
    and I believe the tape is of the 7.1 era.
    When I type to the fep "scan cart:1" there is
    a pause and then the return:
    "Error: This overlay is not for this kernal
     version".
    What does this mean? (other than I'm
    probably in trouble here :)

What you have is a "Super BOL" tape, which contains flod files for all
36xx architectures.  The label tells you where the files are for each
architecture.  So, instead of "scan cart:1", you should have typed "scan
cart:18".

      Is there some way for me to reinstall the
    necessary files from the ifs tape to the
    problem drive without the BOL? I have tried
    connecting the bad drive as unit1 (the 2nd
    drive) on another 3650, and although I can
    get a directory of the unit1 drive, and can
    create fep files on it (while at the fep
    level), when I boot up lisp (on the good 3650)
    I am unable to get a "show fep directory" or
    an si:fix-fep-file... to work. My guess is the
    drive is totally shot. (whine, whimper...
    Quiet, mutt! :)

      Anyway, if anyone has any tips on installing
    an IFS tape without a BOL, or can tell me how
    to get this BOL going, I'd much appreciate it!

You only need to use the BOL if you need to format a disk without being
able to mount a different disk; it provides the flod files that you
would normally get from disk.  However, except for the extra tape
swapping, it may be easier to use the BOL tape, since it automates all
the steps described below.

In this case, you should be able to reformat the bad disk by mounting it
as unit 1, with a good disk as unit 0.  From the FEP you can then do:

	scan g206-disk
	set disk type 1 emd368
	disk format 1 0 1216

The format takes 10-15 minutes.  Then put the IFS tape in the drive and
do:

	disk restore

and answer the prompts.

    I picked up an Eagle drive from the ADS sale
    a while back, and I'd like to get it going as
    a second drive on the working 3650. 

I vaguely recall that Eagles can't be used on unmodified 3650's.  I
think an ECO is necessary to make this combination work.

					(I have
    an ifs for it too, although it may be from
    a 3600...)

There's no difference between IFS tapes for different CPU models.  It
just contains information about the disk itself, in a
machine-independent format.

                                                barmar