TMSCP(4)

NAME
tmscp - DEC TMSCP magtape interface

SYNOPSIS
/sys/conf/SYSTEM:
        NTMSCP       1     # TMSCP controllers
        NTMS         1     # TMSCP drives
        TMSCP_DEBUG  NO    # debugging code in in TMSCP drive (EXPENSIVE)
/etc/dtab:
	#Name	Unit#	Addr	Vector	Br	Handler(s)		# Comments
	tms	?	174500	260	5	tmsintr		# tmscp driver
	tms	?	164334	0	5	tmsintr		# alternate
major device number(s):
       raw: 23
       block: 12
minor device encoding:
bit:    |7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0|
        -------------------------------
         C   C   X   D   D   N   U   U
       C = Controller # (max of 4 controllers)
       D = Density
       N = Norewind on close
       U = Unit (drive) number (max of 4 drives per controller)

DESCRIPTION
Tape controllers compatible with the DEC Tape Mass Storage Control Protocol (TMSCP) architecture such as the TU81 and the TK50 provide a standard tape drive interface as described in mtio(4). The controller communicates with the host through a packet oriented protocol. Consult the file <pdp/tmscp.h> for a detailed description of this protocol.

FILES
/dev/MAKEDEV    script to create special files
/dev/MAKEDEV.local    script to localize special files

The vector specified in /etc/dtab may be given as an explicit value in which case autoconfig(8) will attempt to allocate the specified vector. The vector may also be (if the system is at revision level 100 or higher) given as 0 - in which case autoconfig(8) will request the kernel to allocate the next available vector (beginning at 01000 and proceeding downward) which autoconfig(8) will initialize.

Multiple drives on a single controller are supported. Multiple controllers are also supported.

Density selection is specified by bits 3 and 4 in the minor device number. A value of 0 requests the lowest density of a drive and a value of 3 the highest density. Values of 1 and 2 are essentially equivalent (because because TMSCP only defines values for three densities) and request the middle density (for tri-density tape drives).

DIAGNOSTICS
tms: !drives. Not enough drives were declared when the kernel was built. The NTMS parameter in the kernel config file needs to be increased by at least one.

tms%d stepN init failed: sa %x. Step N of the 4 step initialization sequence has failed.

tms%d: random intr. An unexpected interrupt was received. This is indicative of some other device using the same interrupt vector as the TMSCP controller. The interrupt is ignored.

tms%d Ver %d Mod %d. The version and model number of the controller are displayed when the controller is initialized. This is an information message and not an error.

tms%d: state %d. The controller state is not one of the 4 initialization states or the RUN state. This indicates a serious problem in the driver and possibly the hardware.

tms%d: fatal error %x. The controller detected a ``fatal error'' in the status returned to the host. The contents of the status register are displayed.

tms%d init fail. The controller failed to initialize. Indicative of a hardware problem.

tms%d,%d flush fail. The cache failed to flush during a close operation. Data loss is possible in this case.

tms%d,%d: sa %x state %d. A fatal error. The controller will be reset in an attempt to resume operation.

tms ioctl. An invalid internal ioctl function call has been made. This is a driver bug.

tms%d,%d inv end. An invalid end (completion) code has been detected. A drive has returned 0 as the opcode originally issued. This is a hardware problem.

tms%d,%d bad rsp: %x. An unrecognized response has been received. This is a driver bug.

tms%d,%d cache lost The cache on the drive has been lost. Data loss is likely. Usually due to a hardware problem.

The following error is produced when a TMSCP error log datagram is received:

tms%d,%d dgram fmt=%x evt=%x grp=%x flg=%x pos=%D.

Earlier versions of the driver consumed a noticeable amount of kernel D-space decoding and pretty printing more detailed information. This has been removed in favor of a shorter message. In the future an error log daemon will be written and the datagrams from the MSCP and TMSCP drivers passed to it for analysis.

SEE ALSO
mt(1), tar(1), tp(1), mtio(4), tm(4), ts(4), ut(4), dmesg(8), dtab(5), autoconfig(8)

BUGS
If any non-data error is encountered on non-raw tape, it refuses to do anything more until closed.

On quad-density tape drives (the Kennedy 9662 for example) the middle density of 3200bpi is not host selectable (it can be manually selected from the drive's front panel) because TMSCP only defines 800, 1600 and 6250bpi.