[Info-vax] Ods2 reader utility mount

[ChrisQ]

Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> ChrisQ wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Am trying to recover some files from a couple of cdc 94171-330 scsi
>> drives which were originally fitted to a Microvax II around 1990-1992.
>> It was the main lab machine here at the time, before deserting to Sun3 a
>> while later.
>>
>> I no longer have enough Qbus parts locally to build a working Microvax,
>> so downloaded the ODS2 utility to catalog and read the drives. Tried it
>> first on XP, but the xp disk man. utility won't let you assign a drive
>> letter (which ods2 needs to mount the drive) until the drive is
>> initialised, which is not really what I had in mind :-). Ok, move drive
>> to Solaris 10 sparc box, but there's not much info with the utility, no
>> examples of how to mount drive under unix. Have  tried various runes to
>> get the drive mounted without success. ie: mount c6t1d0 /mnt, mount
>> /dev/dsk/c6t0d0 /mnt, mount c6t1d0 etc etc.
>>
>> Drives are 20+ years old, but CDC made em good in those days and spin up
>> fine, (After replacing one shorted tant cap on one and lubing the ground
>> spring on the spindles) They are seen and recognised by windoze and
>> sol10 format utility, so it looks like it will all fly, just can't get
>> the drives mounted. Any ideas re correct syntax ?...
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Chris
> 
> They aren't going to mount under VMS unless there is a ODS-2 file system 
> present and in good repair!
> 
> Mounting on a Unix box also requires that a file system be present; one 
> that will be recognized by whatever flavor of Unix you are using.
> 
> If the drive is working at all, either O/S should allow you to dump the 
> raw blocks.
> 
> $ MOUNT /FOREIGN   DKAnnn:
> $ DUMP DKAnnn:
> 
> If there is a corrupted ODS-2 file system present you should still be 
> able to MOUNT /FOREIGN and do an:
> $ ANALYZE /DISK_STRUCTURE /REPAIR /CONFIRM DKAnnn:
> 
> If it won't MOUNT /FOREIGN I'd drop it in the trash and get on with my 
> life!

Richard,

Thanks for that but have already explained that I no longer have a 
working vax system, so am looking for a way to read the scsi drives via 
unix or windows. The drive can be seen by both and am pretty sure the 
drive will be readable. "tossing it in the trash" is not an option :-). 
Could probably find 9 track backups and still have a working scsi tape 
drive, but that would be even more complicated. Not even sure if there 
is a vms backup reader for unix ?.

The problem is that the windows version of Ods2 can't mount the drive 
without a drive letter, but the disk must be initialised (ie: write to 
the drive and trash the data) under windows to assign a drive letter. 
Chicken or egg and thus no luck with the windoze version.

The unix version compiles fine under Solaris 10, but returns error 
messages when the using the ods2 mount command. While there are examples 
of usage for the windoze version, nothing for the unix version.

The Ods2 version is v1.3 from the vms freeware cd, originally by Paul 
Nankervis at ibm, then v1.3 from Hunter Goatley...


Regards,

Chris




The Ods2 utility looks good, but how it can possibly be used under 
windows when a drive letter can't be assigned beats me, or am I missing 
something here ?. That is, Ods2  Chicken or egg or what ?...

Regards,

Chris