Date   : Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:46:10 +0100
From   : profpep@... (Mike)
Subject: Possibly available: SJ FDFS

> > Different here: Syquest is random access device, tape is a stream type
> > device.
>
> The MDFS used tape devices that were (slow) random access devices. I guess
> this made the backup code easier (sector copy everything) and allows the
> %TAPE stuff to do on-line single-file retrieval.
>
Thanks for this.

So a DAT might be in with a chance, unless the MDFS does something with the
'info request' returned information. I was assuming, (always bad), that the
MDFS used tape in a base-level fashion.

My memory  fails me a bit here, but didn't the Bernoulli Discs look more
like a tape drive at the host end? If so, trying the Syquest might be
feasible. Just make sure a scratch disc is mounted when the attempt is made.

We definitely need some kind of PC/Econet bridge device. It would probably
be easier to write a file and script IO for a linux box to make it look like
an MDFS, than to reverse engineer the actual code. MDFS emulator? Hmmm.

||\/||ike