Re: SCSI hard-drive partition questions

[Dennis Jenkins <dennis@uranium.usb.com>]

David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:
> Dennis Jenkins <dennis@usb.com> wrote:

>>       The drive had A single 40.1M partition of type 'APPLE PDOS'.  Note: If
>> you create a prodos partition using the standard MacOS software, the
>> type is 'Apple_ProDOS'.  The disk was missing the partition table
>> partition and the device driver partition.

> If the disk has no partition for the partition table, then it doesn't
> have any partitions at all - it is a single volume occupying the entire
> drive.

> This is exactly how Filer (or any other ProDOS utility) would set up the
> drive if it didn't already contain a valid partition table, or had no
> partitions which the SCSI card recognised as being ProDOS.

> I suspect the "APPLE PDOS" indication you are getting is from your Linux
> software, which probably analysed the contents of the volume and
> recognised the ProDOS file system.  If there is no partition table, then
> there is nowhere for the partition type ("Apple_PRODOS" or anything
> else) to be stored.

Yes, I have determined all of this already.  This stuff I know. :)

>>       Maybe the ROM Ver B on my SCSI card just doesn't do partitions.

> Yes, it does (I used revision A with a 60 MB hard drive), but you need

Thanks.  This is important info.

> to use the right software to set up partitions.  The SCSIPARTITION
> program which is supplied with the card is the only one I know of which
> will work with that firmware revision.  It will let you create a maximum
> of two ProDOS partitions.

My SCSI card came with software to do block tests, but no partitioning 
software.  I downloaded some partitioning software that runs on an Apple 
II from ground.  The software refused to run.  Wants a ROM Ver C.

> Unfortunately, this won't allow the drive to work on a Mac, because it
> won't contain a driver partition.

Argh!  However, you said that I can have a max of 2 ProDOS partitions, but 
does the Apple II SCSI card care about other partitions, such as the 
MacOS Driver partition, or an A/UX root, usr, swap, spare?


> There are two options:

> (a) Upgrade your card to revision C firmware, allowing it to be used
> with GS/OS, then use Advanced Disk Utility to partition the drive.  As
> it is an Apple-patched drive, it should work with the driver which ADU
> will install, allowing the drive to work on both the Mac and Apple II.

I have found an individual who is burning me an EPROM as we speak.  I'm so 
excited!

> (b) Find some Mac-based software which is able to create ProDOS
> partitions correctly.  It sounds like there was something wrong with the
> partitioning as set up by Apple HD SC Setup.

>>       Also, I downloaded GS/OS 5.0.4.  It did not like my SCSI card either.

> No version of GS/OS will work with revision B (or A) firmware in the
> original Apple SCSI card.  You require revision C, which means doing a
> fimrware upgrade on the card.  You will need a 27C128 EPROM (16Kx8), a
> copy of the firmware, and access to an EPROM programmer.

> In theory, you could use the card with IIgs System 3.2 or earlier, as
> these system versions use the ProDOS-16 operating system instead of
> GS/OS.  It will be a rather poor substitute for GS/OS, and there is no
> way you could access an HFS partition this way.

Where can I get ProDOS-16 system 3.2?  I just want to play with it.  As 
soon as my EPROM arrives, I'll go to 6.0.1

>> It would spontaneously reboot half-way through the boot process.  I can
>> not find any version of GS/OS prior to 5.0.4 on the internet.  Can
>> someone send me a .SDK file for a version prior so I can try it out?  I
>> really want to use the 'finder' to move files around on my HD.  FILER
>> just sucks after about 10 file copy/deletes.  

> You could always use a better ProDOS-8 utility program, such as Apple's
> "Apple II Utilities", Copy II+, Prosel, or even ShrinkIt.

>>       I'm considering writing an 8 bit unix like shell for prodos so that I
>> can move/rename/delete files using wildcards.  Does such a thing exist
>> already?

> There are probably several.  For example, the Aztec C compiler includes
> a shell which uses Unix-style commands.  I'd have to read the manual to
> see whether it supports wildcards (I haven't used it for several years).