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From: Wilko Bulte <wilko@yedi.iaf.nl>
Message-Id: <199610032316.AAA03622@yedi.iaf.nl>
Subject: Re: Irwin ( exabyte 8200 ) and Freebsd 2.1.5
To: bartling@cyrix.com (Steve Bartling)
Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 00:16:02 +0100 (MET)
Cc: bartling@mega.cyrix.com, freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org,
        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <9610031819.AA04109@mega.cyrix.com> from "Steve Bartling" at Oct 3, 96 01:19:44 pm
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As Steve Bartling wrote...

> the firmware revision is the generic 2618.)

Mine is:

EXABYTE EXB-8200 2687

> I have used the "expert" DOS software package that I downloaded
> from www.exabyte.com to test the drive under DOS. Other than
> a tendancy to report fairly high Rewrt and ECC percentages on
> the first couple of megabytes written, the drive passed all
> of the tests that this software provides. The Rewrt and ECC
> percentages will drop as you write/read more data from
> the drive. If you write/read enough data, the percentages 
> average out to acceptable values. Is this typical behavior ?

I suppose it has been cleaned? Sounds a bit like heads that clean
themselves on the datatape. I've been told this can happen.

> Now for the problem ...
> 
> The Archive 2150s works fine. When I attempt to "tar -cvf /dev/rst1"
> the entire SCSI bus hangs, requiring a machine boot to clear the
> bus. I cannot use the st or the mt utilities to display status or
> set modes. When I attempt to do so, I get "Invalid Input/Output Error".
> 
> Again, I can access the 2150s just fine. Hardware does not seem to be
> at fault since both drives are happy under DOS.

Hmm, I've seen multiple 'interesting' firmware effects happen (including
locking things) with Viper 2150s. Like Exabyte, Archive tended to need
multiple attempts at getting good firmware. Maybe it is just the Viper/Exa
combination that is destined to fail. Does the Exa work without the Vipers?

Wilko
_     ____________________________________________________________________
 |   / o / /  _  Bulte  email: wilko@yedi.iaf.nl - Arnhem, The Netherlands
 |/|/ / / /( (_) 	Do, or do not. There is no 'try' - Yoda
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