Workstation Disks

Workstation disks are supplied in add-on modules and cartridges. The model of disk you use depends on your workstation and processor type.

See the workstation instaIIation guides for information about disk compatibility and instaIIation instructions.

CTOS System Administration Guide

Device Names for Hard Disks

On workstations, hard disk devices are named dn, where n indicates the placement of the disk drive. Disk device names can change when you add a disk to the workstation. For example, if you add a new disk between two existing disks, the device name of the third disk will change accordingly. Volume names, however, which you define when you initialize disks, remain the same when physical placement of the disk is changed.

On modular and integrated workstations, the first hard disk to the right of the processor is dO, the second, dl, and so on. On Series 5000

workstations, hard disks are numbered dO and dl, from top to bottom, in the base unit. Disk numbering then continues sequentially in the SCSI expansion unit to the left of the base unit, followed by the X-Bus to the right of the base unit. See the SuperGen Series 5000 Hardware Installa-tion and Owner's Guide for detailed information about device names.

Disk Type and Bad Spot Report

11-2

Disk modules are labeled on the bottom with a disk type (sometimes called vendor code), as shown in Figure 11-1. In addition, non-SCSI modules are also labeled with a bad spot report, also shown in Figure 11-1. In situations described later in this section, you may need to use the disk type code and bad spot report.

Note: An easy way to make a record of the bad spot report is to photocopy of the bottom of the disk module before attaching it to the workstation.

Adding Hard Disks

Disk Type or Vendor Code

.----~---,

502.11-1

Figure 11-1. Workstation Disk Type and Bad Spot Report

eTOS System Administration Guide

Initializing a New Workstation Disk

11-4

Mter you have attached a disk module to a workstation, it must be initialized before you can use it. The following procedure describes how to initialize a disk. This procedure works for most new workstation disks, however, it does not initialize a system volume and it may not initialize the disk optimally for your purposes. For more detailed information, see "Using Parameter Templates," later in this section.

For disks that have been corrupted, see "Reinitializing Corrupted Volumes," later in this section.

CAUTION

The following procedure destroys all data on the disk.

1. On the Executive command line, type Format Disk; then press RETURN.

2. Fill in the command form as shown in the following example;

parameter fields are described in Table 11-1.

Format Disk Device name [Device password]

[Current volume password]

[New volume name]

[New volume password]

[Configuration file]

[Format template]

[Device template]

[Print file]

[Overwrite ok?]

[Sad spot file]

[Recalculate defaults?]

[CTOS partition size in Mb]

3. Press Go.

d1

##

Volume1

####

Adding Hard Disks

Table 11-1. Format Disk Parameter Fields

Parameter

Enter the device name of the disk you want to initialize.

Note: When formatting floppy diskettes, be sure to use the correct type of diskette for your drive; see the CTOS Media User's Guide.

Default: None

Enter the device password for the disk you want to initialize. If you are using a prebuilt CTOS operating system, device passwords for hard disks match device names, and floppy drives do not have passwords. If you are using a customized operating system, however, device passwords might be different.

Default: Active password

If you are reinitializing a disk, enter the volume password currently assigned to the disk. When you are initializing a new disk, there is no volume password to enter here.

Default: Current volume name

Enter a name, up to twelve characters long, to assign to the volume. It can contain letters, numerals, periods, and hyphens. The volume name of each disk within a cluster must be unique.

Default: None

Enter a password, up to twelve characters long, to assign to the volume. It can contain letters, numerals, periods, and hyphens.

Default: See below

Enter the name of the configuration file containing the format and device templates for the disk.

/Sys]<Sys>FormatDiskConfig.sys is the default. (See MUsing Parameter Templates," later in this section.)

continued

eTOS System Administration Guide

Table 11-1. Format Disk Parameter Fields (cont.)

Description

Default: See below

Enter the name of a format template for the disk. If you leave this field blank, a default template is used. If a default template is not available, Format Disk calculates default values. For more information, see "Format Tem-plates," later in this section.

Default: See below

Enter the name of the device template for the disk, or if that is unknown, enter the actual device characteristics in the form of CylinderslHeadslSectorsPerTrack. If you leave this field blank, Format Disk attempts to format the disk with default parameters. This parameter is not required for SCSI disks, previously formatted disks, and for most new workstation disks. For more information, see "Device Templates," later in this section.

Default: None

To record command output in a log file, enter a file specification in this field. The file must be created on a valid volume; that is, you cannot write a log file to the same disk you are formatting.

Default: Ask for confirmation

If you want to reinitialize a valid volume, enter Yes. If you do not want to overwrite a valid volume, enter No. If you leave this field blank, you are prompted to confirm or can-cel the initialization procedure if the disk is a valid volume.

Default: None

Enter the file specification of a file containing bad spot information for the disk. For new non-SCSI SRP disks, corrupted volumes, or 110 errors, you create this file before you begin the Format Disk command. See "Creating a Bad Spots File" and "Correcting Input/Output Errors," later in this section.

continued

Adding Hard Disks

Table 11-1. Format Disk Parameter Fields (cont.)

Parameter

[Recalculate defaults?}

[GTOS partition size in Mb}