[Coco] [Color Computer] setting up Nitros9 device descriptor for SCSI drive

[Robert Gault]

jlhickle wrote:

> Can anyone point me to some instructions for setting up a device
> descriptor for a SCSI hard drive under nitros9?  I'm using cloud-9's
> super driver. Hard drive has HDB-DOS virtual drives 0 thru 250 and I
> want nitros9 to use the rest of the drive. Attempts to use device /s0
> gives error 246 (device not ready).
> 
> I'm thinking the problem may be in how to tell nitros9 about
> partitioning the drive.  I also have a Jaz drive (SCSI ID 4) which
> works  with device /s4; didn't have to dmode any changes to that one.
> 
> -jim
> 

You really should be asking Cloud-9 but ....  If the hard drive has not 
been formatted for OS-9, you should expect to see some errors. NitrOS-9 
will get all the information needed from the descriptor. What is needed 
is the amount of drive space assigned to OS-9. Make this too large and 
you will overlap into the HDB-DOS portion of the drive.

The starting point for the HDB-DOS portion of the drive should be burned 
into your DOS ROM. If Cloud-9 is keeping with the RGB-DOS prototype, you 
will have a Basic program (perhaps SPECS.BAS) which will report the 
HDB-DOS "sector offset". As an example in MESS, I have an offset of 
368640. This information is used to configure /h0 to cyl=005A, sid=40, 
and sct=40; $5Ax$40x$40=$5A000=368640.

If your super driver uses /s0, dmode should report similar information. 
If that is the case, just use Format in Logical mode and the drive 
should be readable. Only Logical is needed as the drive must already 
have a low level format or the HDB-DOS portion would not be working.