Floppy formats under 386/ix

[Georg Nikodym]

In article <830 at mwtech.UUCP> martin at mwtech.UUCP (Martin Weitzel) writes:
>As I understand, the `official' manuals for 386/ix 2.0.2 are
>the ones I can buy from AT&T or Prentice Hall. The "UNIX System
>V/386 System Administrator's Reference Manual" specifies in
>FD(7) the names for floppy disk devices.
>
>According to the list given there the name "/dev/rdsk/f05qt" means
>`5-1/4", 720 KB'. But if I check out the device-number pair, I find
>that this name rather belongs to 3-1/2", 1.44 MB.
>
>Needless to say (and as I knew for long), I can't use 5-1/4", 720 KB
>floppies on 386/ix. Now my questions:
>
>1) Which is wrong - the floppy driver of 386/ix or the manuals?
>
>2) Will 5-1/4", 720 KB Floppies be supported in Release 2.2
>   (Note: This format is one of the "standard exchange formats"
>    of X/Open.)

Good trick, unless you have some seriously weird floppy drives, I don't
think that there is a such thing as a 5.25" 720KB floppy.

Floppy stuff:

	5.25" 360KB (low/regular density)
	5.25" 1.2MB (high density)

	3.5"  720KB (low density)
	3.5"  1.44MB (high density)

Anyway, what was the question?  Can you read and write floppy disks?
If so, who cares what the device file is called, that can be changed.
If not, well I suggest first that you try out the various device files
deductively, that way you'll be able to determine for yourself whether
or not the driver works (I suspect, though, that since you probably installed
the OS from floppies that the driver works just fine).

Good luck
-- 

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