Date   : Sun, 28 Mar 2004 20:55:57 +0100
From   : Philip Blundell <philb@...>
Subject: Re: MDFS incomplete startup

On Sun, 2004-03-28 at 22:23, Chris Thornley wrote:
> My manual mentions something about a tape drive which I don't have. Either
> it was chucked out before I got the item or it broke but nobody seems to
> know anything and a lot of items where skipped before I was employed at the
> place. Does anyone know if an ordinary tape drive could do as I have an old
> QIC drive lying around with some spare tapes?

No; the MDFS needs a special kind of tape drive that operates as a
direct-access device (emulates a very slow hard disk, essentially). 
Normal tape drives are sequential-access and won't work with that
fileserver.

> I think it might be a good idea to get the data off the hard disk before it
> fails or so other people could have a backup. Anyone got a suggestion as I
> have no econnect machine or Archimedes with econnect. Could I access the
> scsi disk using a PC SCSI card and somehow block read it or copy files off
> it and recreate its directory structure.

You could do a block-by-block copy, but the filesystem is in a
proprietary format.  Your PC won't be able to make any sense of that. 

> off the passwords or what state it will be in. Is there any method any one
> knows to gain full access to the unit? The people who use to use it have
> either forgotten, don't know or don't work at my of place of work any more.

You can erase the password file from Utility Mode, which will allow you
to log in without giving a password.  I think that the server will start
in utility mode if you turn the key straight from "off" to "system",
without stopping in the middle position.  Then you can connect with a
serial terminal, or over the network using *FAST.

p.