[Simh] SIMH tape images to real tapes

[Larry Baker]

Cory,

I found that RSTS tape image at BitSavers and got the same error you did when I converted it.  As you said, the conversion looks fine -- TAPELOOK shows the same contents: 151 files processed.

It is a weird hybrid format. :)  (I've never used RSTS, so I never included this format in my TAPELOOK program.)  It looks like a boot block, some DEC DOS labeled files, and then a BACKUP or BRU save-set (you can see the ANSI labels).

TAPELOOK did not run into the SIMH format error that SIMH2MTD did.  I'm wondering if TAPELOOK stops when it runs into two tape marks at the end of the tape, whereas SIMH2MTD does not.  I'll have a look.

Let me know if you are successful.  As I said before, TAPELOOK should show the same contents for the .tap image, the .mtd image, and the actual 9-track tape when you're done.

Larry Baker
US Geological Survey
650-329-5608
baker at usgs.gov



On 23 May 2014, at 6:16 PM, Cory Smelosky wrote:

> On Fri, 23 May 2014, Larry Baker wrote:
> 
>> Cory,
>> 
>> "Fatal drive error" means the SIMH decoder failed a validation test.  Meaning, it didn't match Bob Supnik's description of the format.  If you first run TAPELOOK on the SIMH image, the same thing will probably happen.  Where did you download the RSTS tape image.  Are you sure it is a SIMH mag tape image?
>> 
>> It is possible that this will happen at the end of a valid SIMH mag tape image.  I didn't do anything to stop reading bytes at what would be, e.g., a Unix EOF.  That is because I am reading the file in block mode, not record mode.  For example, the tape image I was working with did have garbage at the end of the file.  But, that did not affect the MTD image creation.
>> 
> 
> It happened at the end.
> 
>> If you have a valid SIMH mag tape image, my TAPELOOK program should show you what you've got.  If the conversion worked, you should see the same contents when you run TAPELOOK on the converted MTD mag tape image.
>> 
> 
> Looks like the converted tape image is correct.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Cory Smelosky
> http://gewt.net Personal stuff
> http://gimme-sympathy.org Projects

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