🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1id1irINNmr8@anthrax.solbourne.com> hanzel@solbourne.com (Karl  
Hanzel) writes:
> Ok, i give up...
> 
> What's the secret to being able to stuff (just for example) a 'tar' floppy
> into a NeXT's drive and then to read it?  The scenario is this:  i'm here
> pax,
>    Karl
>    *----->
> 
>    (NeXT Mail to karl@khaos.com, thanks!)
> 

Note: This answer, or a better one should probably go into the FAQ, this  
question (and other related ones, such as "my floppy is stuck I can't eject  
it") is asked a lot.

When you use the tar command from the shell, specify /dev/rfd0b (for example to  
read the table of contents on a floppy: "tar tf /dev/rfd0b"). The man page on  
tar goes into more detail about the specifics. Don't insert the floppy, just  
type your tar command, and NeXTSTEP will politely ask you to insert the disk.

Now, you need to set the permissions on /dev/rfd0b to rw for whoever is using  
it. To do everyone (note /dev/rfd0b is owned by root):

% chmod 666 /dev/rfd0b
% ls -alsx /dev/rfd0b
   0 crw-rw-rw-  1 root      41,  1 Nov  4 10:23 /dev/rfd0b
%

If you don't want to set the permissions, you have to run tar as root.

To eject the disk, there is a command somewhere, sorry I can't remember what it  
is. However, a bit of hacking will get it ejected for you (see man page on fd  
et al for more info).

Here's a program, name the source eject.m and do what the comments say.

-------------cut for eject.m-----------------
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/file.h>
#include <bsd/dev/disk.h>
#include <bsd/dev/fd_extern.h>

// save this file as eject.m
// % make eject		# Make a binary (no makefile required)
// % strip ./eject	# Shrink the binary
// % ./eject 		# to eject the disk
// As long as /dev/rfd0b is crw-rw-rw- this will work, else
// run this program as root.

void
main (int argc, char** argv)
{
    int fd = open ("/dev/rfd0b", O_RDONLY,  0);
    ioctl (fd, DKIOCEJECT);
    close (fd);
    exit (0);
}

-----------------end eject.m-------------
-- 

--- Gordie Freedman gordie@cyclesoft.com  NeXTMail Yes! ---
>>> Thou shalt not inline functions more complicated than 20 

In article <1id1irINNmr8@anthrax.solbourne.com> hanzel@solbourne.com (Karl Hanzel) writes:
>
>What's the secret to being able to stuff (just for example) a 'tar' floppy
>into a NeXT's drive and then to read it?  The scenario is this:  i'm here
>at work, and i write off a 'tar' floppy on a machine here.  I go home and plug
>it in my NeXT, only to be prompted "Floppy unreadable:  initialize or eject?:"
>by a dialog window.  It expects that any floppy you stick in it is supposed to
>be a mountable file system... that's what it will do to it if you select the
>"initialize" option.  I need an "ignore" option that will just let it sit
>there in the drive until i later go to read it with 'tar'.  

Don't insert the floppy until the OS asks for it.  i.e. give the command

	% tar xvf /dev/rfd0a

and wait for the prompt panel to come up and ask you to insert a disk.

This should probably be in the FAQ list, but I don't think it is.


-- 
        carl lowenstein         marine physical lab     u.c. san diego
        {decvax|ucbvax} !ucsd!mpl!cdl                 cdl@mpl.ucsd.edu
                                                  clowenstein@ucsd.edu

In article <1id1irINNmr8@anthrax.solbourne.com> hanzel@solbourne.com (Karl  
Hanzel) writes:
> Ok, i give up...
> 
> What's the secret to being able to stuff (just for example) a 'tar' floppy
> into a NeXT's drive and then to read it?  The scenario is this:  i'm here
> at work, and i write off a 'tar' floppy on a machine here.  I go home and  
plug
> it in my NeXT, only to be prompted "Floppy unreadable:  initialize or  
eject?:"
> by a dialog window.  It expects that any floppy you stick in it is supposed  
to
> be a mountable file system.

Simple. Issue the tar command first, before inserting the disk. You will
be prompted to insert the disk.

--
Volker Herminghaus-Shirai (vhs@qb.rhein-main.de), NeXTmail welcome

Looks good on the outside, but -
	intel inside