[Info-vax] Backup TK50 tapes

[Paul Sture]

In article <kgdsje$6on$1 at dont-email.me>,
 David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:

> Johnny Billquist wrote:
> > On 2013-02-24 10:16, supervinx wrote:
> >>
> >>> I'm sure that quite a few people could give you very specific
> >>> directions, if you can clearly state your goals to them.
> >>
> >> Well, let's try to be minimal.
> >> My goal was to create a physical image of the tapes so, if they will
> >> "die" (everything has an end, only a sausage has two ;) ) I'll be
> >> able to recreate them.
> >> Usually I use a SCSI tape interface, and used tapecopy/tapedd.
> >>
> >> Marginally I had the curiosity to try those tape images to install
> >> in simh an older VMS version.
> >>
> >> So the question wasn't only to archive tape content but to
> >> preserve their functionality.
> > 
> > Search through the DECUS library for a tool called TPC. It does what you 
> > think and want.
> > 
> > (TPC stands for tape copy, just for the record.)
> > 
> >     Johnny
> > 
> 
> Now doesn't that bring back some dismal memories.  I've written a few 
> programs to read data from tapes, and to write data to tape.  While most 
> likely not unique, VAX Basic (and RSTS/E Basic Plus for that matter) is 
> quite capable of of doing the job.  Even with an option to read EBCDIC 
> and convert it to ASCII.
> 
> With a large buffer, the RECOUNT verb would give you the bytes from each 
> read and you could then write out that block at the right size.
> 
> Now, this isn't from long ago, this is from VERY, VERY long ago.  I'm a 
> bit shocked that I can still see the relevant code in my head.  Now if 
> only I could remember what I did 5 minutes ago ....

LOL!

I did the same with COBOL nearly 30 years ago. EBCDIC too, which made me 
furious when some DEC salesman stood up and told potential customers 
that VMS didn't support EBCDIC and never ever would do.

Yes, various boffins from Head Office gave me other solutions, largely 
based on DECUS stuff but in order to leave my then customer self 
sufficient the solution had to be COBOL.  I simply hit the manuals and 
found out how to do it the COBOL way.  It was no slouch at runtime 
either, beating quite a few assembler programs that were available at 
the time.

ALPHABET IS EBCDIC was my friend for a while:-)

-- 
Paul Sture