Trying to attach a Sony Optical disk to a DECstation 3100, help!

[Ed Mella]

In article <1990Nov14.104443.18704 at ircam.ircam.fr>, mf at ircam.fr (Michel
Fingerhut) writes:
|> We are trying to install a Sony "Magneto Optical Disk Drive Subsystem
|> SMO-5501-11" to a DECstation 3100 under Ultrix 3.0 (soon 4.1).
|> 
|> 1..  In console mode, ">> test -c" sees the disk and correctly displays
|>      vendor and other info.
|> 
|> 2..  At boot time, autoconfig identifies it as "rz3 ( UNKNOWN ) ..."
|>      which is right insofar as the SCSI unit number, and gives hope that
|>      the driver will know what to do next.  But...
|> 
|> 3..  When attempting to format it (with /etc/rzdisk) or newfs, it reports
|> 		rz3: mode select failed
|>      and I'm stuck.
|>

You seem fine until step 3.  I can tell you through experience that your
problem is that the Mode Select supported by Sony is different than that
supported
by other venders.  Sony doesn't use the same "pages" and has different options
in these, but many of the options of other vender's devices are there. 
Sony has
complete but difficult documentation which explains all of the options. 
You might ask them for it, they are usually very happy to provide you
with this.

The reason for the problem in step 2 is that as I recall, the Dec SCSI driver
only "knows" about a table of devices compiled into the it and
therefore, your drive comes under the "I don't know you" category.

I know of a company in Bethesda, MD (USA) working with your combination
of stuff and has worked through these problems.  Email me if you would
like more info on  any of this.