Frequently Asked Questions about SyQuest Disks on Silicon Graphics Computers Bob Miller Last updated: 9/21/94 Silicon Graphics (SGI) supports SyQuest removable disks as an interchange medium between SGI computers and Macintoshes in Irix 5.3. =========================================================== How do I use SyQuest cartridges in the desktop environment? ----------------------------------------------------------- If you use version 5.2 or later of Irix, and you run the whole desktop environment including Indigo Magic, the object server, and the media daemon (mediad), then SyQuest support is fairly automatic. In the desktop environment, a SyQuest drive's icon appears automatically on your desktop. When you insert an initialized SyQuest cartridge from a Macintosh, it will automatically be mounted. Double-click the drive's icon to show an iconic view of the files on the disk. Access files by clicking and dragging, just as you would access the files on a hard disk. Eject a disk by selecting the drive's icon, pressing mouse button 3 and selecting "Eject" from the pop-up menu that appears. You can only use cartridges initialized with Macintosh's HFS file system. ==================================================================== How do I initialize a SyQuest cartridge with a Macintosh filesystem? -------------------------------------------------------------------- Initializing a SyQuest cartridge is not straightforward. If you have disk formatting software on a Macintosh such as FWB's Hard Disk Toolkit or Casablanca's Drive7, you should probably initialize the cartridges on one of those machines. To initialize a cartridge on an SGI, you must use Unix shell commands. It is not possible to initialize SyQuest cartridges under Irix 5.2. If you have 5.2, you must initialize cartridges using a Macintosh. The following instructions only apply to Irix 5.3 and later. First, determine your SyQuest drive's SCSI controller and unit numbers. Type the command "hinv" and look at the information provided. You'll see a line like the following. Disk drive / removable media: unit 4 on SCSI controller 0 This drive's controller number is 0, and its unit number is 4. This drive would be referred to as /dev/rdsk/fds0d4.3.5hi. Substitute your drive's controller and unit numbers for the 0 and 4. If you run mediad, you must stop mediad before initializing the cartridge. Use the command, "/usr/etc/mediad -k", to stop mediad. Restart mediad afterwards with the command, "/usr/etc/mediad". If you do not run mediad, you must ensure that the disk is not mounted before initializing it. To initialize a cartridge, log in as the superuser (root), and type the following commands. # /usr/etc/mediad -k (only if mediad is running) # /usr/bin/mkfp -t mac /dev/rdsk/fdsXXdYY.3.5hi # /usr/etc/mediad (only if you want mediad to run) Substitute your controller and unit numbers for XX and YY. For example, to put a filesystem onto the disk shown above, the commands would be: # /usr/etc/mediad -k # /usr/bin/mkfp -t mac /dev/rdsk/fds0d4.3.5hi # /usr/etc/mediad The manual page for mkfp gives more information. ======================================================= How do I put a low-level format on a SyQuest cartridge? ------------------------------------------------------- In general, it is rarely necessary to do a low-level format. Most vendors sell SyQuest cartridges pre-formatted, and the format does not have to be redone to reinitialize the disk. It is not possible to format SyQuest cartridges under Irix 5.2. If you have 5.2, you must format cartridges using a Macintosh. The following instructions only apply to Irix 5.3 and later. The mkfp command can both format and initialize a disk. To do both, use the "-x" argument. For example, # /usr/etc/mediad -k (only if mediad is running) # /usr/bin/mkfp -x -t mac /dev/rdsk/fdsXXdYY.3.5hi # /usr/etc/mediad (only if you want mediad to run) Substitute your controller and unit numbers for XX and YY. For example, to put a filesystem onto the disk at controller 0 unit 4, the commands would be: # /usr/etc/mediad -k # /usr/bin/mkfp -t mac /dev/rdsk/fds0d4.3.5hi # /usr/etc/mediad See the question, "How do I initialize a SyQuest cartridge with a Macintosh filesystem?". ====================================================== How do I use a SyQuest cartridge without using mediad? ------------------------------------------------------ Some SGI users prefer not to run the media daemon. It's still possible to use SyQuest cartridges without mediad. If you don't use mediad, you must mount each cartridge after inserting it, and you must dismount it before you eject it. To mount a cartridge, specify the filesystem type, "hfs", and specify the device that is to be mounted. Also, pick a directory where the files on the cartridge will appear. The directory must exist before you mount the disk. # /sbin/mkdir DIRECTORY # /sbin/mount -t TYPE /dev/rdsk/fdsXXdYY.3.5hi DIRECTORY For example, if you have a SyQuest drive on SCSI controller 0 unit 4, to mount a Macintosh filesystem at the directory /mac_files, use this command. # /sbin/mkdir /mac_files # /sbin/mount -t mac /dev/rdsk/fds0d4.3.5hi /mac_files There are several options that may be passed to the mount command. See the mount(1M) manual page for more information. While the cartridge is mounted, its files and directories can be accessed using normal Unix commands. To dismount a cartridge, you use the umount command. # /sbin/umount /dev/rdsk/fdsXXdYY.3.5hi After the cartridge is dismounted, eject it by pushing the eject button on the drive. WARNING. If you eject a cartridge without first dismounting it, you will probably corrupt the data on the cartridge, and you will probably crash the SGI machine. Always dismount a cartridge before ejecting it. If you use mediad, mediad will automatically prevent ejecting mounted cartridges. ================================================ How do I eject a SyQuest cartridge using mediad? ------------------------------------------------ When mediad is running, SyQuest cartridges are automatically mounted and the eject button is disabled. There are two ways to eject a cartridge when mediad is running. You can eject the cartridge from the Indigo Magic desktop or from a Unix shell. To eject a cartridge using the Indigo Magic desktop, select the SyQuest drive's icon, then hold mouse button 3 and select "Eject" from the pop-up menu that appears. To eject a cartridge from a Unix shell, eject the cartridge by typing this command. % /usr/sbin/eject /syquest =================================== What level of DOS support is there? ----------------------------------- DOS filesystems are unsupported under Irix 5.3. =========================================== What level of EFS and xFS support is there? ------------------------------------------- Neither EFS nor xFS works with SyQuest under Irix 5.3. - Robert B. Kleinschmidt ( rbk@esd.sgi.com 415-390-3403 )