>under rt11 5.00, it won't init a tape. used to do this w/ no problem. rt
>returns "output error on mt0:" The tape spins and tries to init, but
>after going back and forth a number of times, it gives up. So the
>mechanism and control logic seems fine. I've tried different tapes and
>cleaned and degaussed the head. No change. Jiggled all the cards in the
>controller and device section to 'assure' a good connection. Nothing. I
>even tried using an old copy of ROLLIN, just to see if it'd do a backup,
>but it moved the reels and instantly gave a FATAL DEVICE ERROR on MT0.
It's clear from the above that you can't do a tape write, but it's not
clear where the problem is because a write involves both the read and
write channels. What happens when you try to read a known good tape?
If you know the problem is reading, it's straightforward to hook a
scope up to the read channel and trace the head signals through at
least to the formatter. If you know the problem is writing, you trace
through from the formatter to the write heads.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Received on Tue Jul 27 1999 - 07:04:10 BST