[Info-vax] Best way to get what I can off a failed VMS Disk?

[geze...@rlgsc.com]

On Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 9:37:42 AM UTC-4, Chris Townley wrote:
> On 24/10/2020 14:18, abrsvc wrote: 
> > On Saturday, 24 October 2020 08:49:42 UTC-4, Chris Townley wrote: 
> >> I have a failing ODS-2 disk in my Alpha (HPE VMS 8.3) 
> >> 
> >> What is the best way to recover those files that are recoverable, with 
> >> the drive going into mount verify? 
> >> 
> >> Thanks 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Chris 
> > 
> > A lot depends upon the reason for the failure. I have had success replacing the controller board on an SBB drive with another to read the "failing" drive. Both must be the same however. 
> > 
> > Any idea where the failure is? Controller, disk itself? 
> >
> It is a hobbyist machine. Only real interest is to save some interesting 
> bits when I ported the work AXP to I64 - work after my last backup. 
> 
> SCSI controller is fine - I am booting off that and I have added another 
> disk. 
> 
> I will try the backup/physical approach - after chilling the disk! 
> Presumably followed by anal/disk/repair on the new disk? 
> 
> Chris
Chris,

If you want to try doing a /RECOVER , I would do the BACKUP/PHYSICAL to a save set, and restore the backup onto a new drive to attempt the /RECOVER. I mentioned the BACKUP/PHYSICAL to preserve the information so it could be manually referenced. Doing an automated recovery could make it impossible to take the manual reconstruction path.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com