Defining Disk Image Dump Standard

From: allisonp <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
Date: Tue May 30 19:54:15 2000

>However, I've just thought of a better example : I once saw a card for an
>Apple ][ containing a 1771 and associated components (and probably a
>ROM). It linked to an external box containing 2 8" drives. The official
>purpose was to allow an Apple with a Z80 Softcard to read standard SSSD
>CP/M disks. But I am _sure_ it could have been used from Apple DOS given
>the right software.
>
>Which means the archive format would have to allow for :
>
>Apple ][, 16 sector 5.25" GCR-encoded disk
>and
>Apple ][, 26 sector, 8", FM encoded disk.
>
>It may be a _very_ unusual format, but a proposed archive format should
>be able to handle _anything_. In any case, I would think that 256
>sub-formats for each machine would be plenty, which means this adds _1
>byte_ to the archive size. Not really a problem IMHO.


You also forget the trackstar apple][ board for PCxt systems that could use
the
DOS disks for storage via the PC hardware never minding it's direct
interface.

To make it work in the end you need some basic documentation and a rosetta
stone to assure the results are valid. IE: what are you looking for, how to
get it,
 and did you get that?

My solution for myself... use the newest media the system can support or I
can easily transfer bulk to. 3.5" floppies are OK. Then figure out what
I'm saving.
300 copies of CP/Ms PIP for V2.2 are pointless as are ASM, and all the other
common stuff. Also how many copies of worstar for ADM3 do I need?
Reducing
this is easier on physical storage too. Also using a system that can handle
multiple
formats or a common one via simple changes to reduce the possible medias
used
to one helps. In the end it's easy to work backward to say 8" CPM SSSD with
an
CCS bios if you have a system image, the CCS unique utilities, CPM std
utilities,
 track layout and of couse a system that can write it all on a suitable
floppy. this
avoids the need to have a real CCS bootable disk as you can make as many as
you need. Then again if you have a CCS system with a monitor rom you could
down
load the peices and use itself to write to disk as native.

For example much of my archive is on AMPROLB. It is very copyable
Z80 design and as is can format/accept/boot/copy a large number of
formats: Both 5.25" and 3.5". My S100 system can bridge the 8" 5.25
and 3.5" rift making a very large number of formats possible in short order.
Both system even can read/write dos compatable disks (if it's on the WC
cdrom it's auto archived). So softsector is covered {with exceptions like
Intel M2fm and RX02 mixed}.

Hardsector and vendor unique at the extreme are more difficult, those
include:

    NorthStar* (all)
    Apple
    TRS80
    Heath
    DEC RX02
    Intel MDS230 series DD controller

and others as they did things that were very specific or unique to them and
most
common hardware is unable to reproduce it. this is where the challenge
lies.

Allison
Received on Tue May 30 2000 - 19:54:15 BST