SUMMARY (partial) -- format.dat entry for IBM-DMVS18D
sorry for the accidentially posted message some minutes ago -
it still wasn't ready. Also sorry for the delay in summarizing.
My original question was:> I am looking for the format.dat entry for a IBM DMVS-18D disk
> (aka Ultrastar 18LZX)
> The disk has 18.35 GB, 10.000rpm
> It 'forgot' it's geometry data.
I got one answer but got some information from my dealer:
----- from Sandor Bolla <bollas at cache1.synergon.hu> -----
I hope, your OS ver >= Solaris 2.x but the following things
should be work under SunOs 4.x too...
>>> My Answer: SOLARIS 8
This is a new disk, or you has important data on it?
>>> My Answer: One year old, no important data.
In the second case you should have a saved VTOC, or all is gone...
If the disk has no VTOC ( for example after running
"dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/rdsk/c0t0d0sx bs=4096k count=1"
where sx should be a slice starting at cyl #0; typically s0 and/or s2)
then invoking the first time "format", it should initialize a default VTOC
with the correct geometry. This can be done from command line with
"fmthard" too.
The best is reading the man pages:
format
fmthard
format.dat
If you must or want to do the hard way (creating a format.dat entry), then
You should search on IBM's website.
IBM provide excellent documentation, and data sheet for the disk products.
>>> My Answer: IBM's description of the disk doesn't contain the informa-
tion to construct a format.dat entry, or I'm too stupid to do so :-(
I am missing data like number of sectors, tracks, heads etc.
Actually I can not verify this because IBM's "Storage" website
isn't accessible from here at the moment
Good luck,
Alex
----------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
I tried to re-format the disk with the `format' utility but I need
the correct disk geometry data to do so.
A stuff member of my dealer told me that they have a lot of problems
with that charge of IBM's DMVS-18D at other customers installations
on systems made by different vendors.
Seems that it is not recommended to use this disk type for sensitive
applications.
Cheers, and thanks to Sandor/Alex
Guenter
--
Dipl.-Ing. Guenter Millahn Brandenburg University of Technology
Systems, Network & DB Admin CS Dept / DB & IS Research Group
Voice: +49 (355) 69-2272/2700 P.O. Box: 10 13 44
Fax: +49 (355) 69-2766 D-03013 Cottbus GERMANY
"The real world is still far away from be led ad absurdum by the virtual
one." (Hal Faber, newsreel "What happened, what will be", 08/13/2000)
