Unreadable LAVC Tapes

Daiyu Hurst

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Jul 19, 2021, 11:46:33 PM7/19/21

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Now that I can stretch out, I decided to revisit two of the LAVC tapes. It appears they are in BACKUP_RESTORE format. Here are the tape names:

12/30/2005 05:45 AM 10,416,478 r19p4-bad-src.tap
12/30/2005 05:23 AM 23,748,048 tape-brms-format.tap

So first I tried 'tape-brms-format.tap' and got this:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK 23:27:21 0.215 0.000
backup_restore @@ -mt 0 -index
[BACKUP_RESTORE Rev. 19.4.5 Copyright (c) Prime Computer, Inc. 1985]
**** Processing catalog : W.1 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.2 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.3 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.4 ****

List of tapes required to restore "@@".
Tape name: W.4, reel(s): 1 2 4 5

**** Checking mounted reel ****
Error 3055:
Invalid use of "ARCHIVE" tape in BACKUP_RESTORE command

List of tapes required to restore "@@".
Tape name: W.4, reel(s): 1 2 4 5

Please mount one of the tapes on MT0.
Press <return> when ready (or QUIT) :q
OK 23:28:07 4.009 2.266
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then I tried the 'r19p4-bad-src.tap' tape:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
as mt0
Device MT0 assigned.
OK 23:37:04 0.039 0.006
backup_restore @@ -mt 0 -index
[BACKUP_RESTORE Rev. 19.4.5 Copyright (c) Prime Computer, Inc. 1985]
**** Processing catalog : W.1 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.2 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.3 ****
**** Processing catalog : W.4 ****

List of tapes required to restore "@@".
Tape name: W.4, reel(s): 1 2 4 5

**** Checking mounted reel ****
Error 3061:
Unable to use this tape :Unknown format tape. (BACKUP_RESTORE)
Do you want help?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My kung fu is not strong enough, it seems.
-Dai

Daiyu Hurst

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Jul 20, 2021, 12:04:41 AM7/20/21

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On Monday, July 19, 2021 at 11:46:33 PM UTC-4, Daiyu Hurst wrote:
> Now that I can stretch out, I decided to revisit two of the LAVC tapes. It appears they are in BACKUP_RESTORE format. Here are the tape names:
>
> 12/30/2005 05:45 AM 10,416,478 r19p4-bad-src.tap
> 12/30/2005 05:23 AM 23,748,048 tape-brms-format.tap

There's one more:

12/30/2005 06:08 AM 15,677,954 mrm001-unreadable.tap

When I look at a dump of these in Windows using a utility to strip the high-order bit, I can see VOL1 tape labels:

P000VOL1NSB ARCHIVE PRIME COMPUTER P0000000f0000sLABEL 000 0000000

I seem to recall someone saying that R19.4 seemed incomplete. Maybe the missing bits are here; this looks like parts of the RJE system:

* The RJQ Command Help File !!!
* Copyright (c) 1982, Prime Computer, Inc., Natick, Ma 01760
0RJQ :( All emulators )
0--
0 RJQ < filename queuename or -LIST or
0 -CANCEL entry or -RESET entry >
0*
The RJQ command is used to queue a specified file ( filename ) for
transmission via a specified queue ( queuename ). Frequently, the queue
name will be the same as the site name, to which the file is to be sent.
*
When the 'filename' & 'queuename' parameters are not supplied, then
*
-LIST causes the current RJE queue to be listed.
*
-CANCEL entry causes the specified entry to be deleted from the
RJE queue.
*
-RESET entry causes the specified entry to be retransmitted from
0 the beginning - if it was previously aborted.
*
The additional features of the RJQ command are described in Chapter 2 of the
RJE manual. The command operates within the RJOP in exactly the same way
as the Primos level command.
0*

Dennis Boone

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Jul 20, 2021, 12:39:33 AM7/20/21

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> 12/30/2005 05:45 AM 10,416,478 r19p4-bad-src.tap
> 12/30/2005 05:23 AM 23,748,048 tape-brms-format.tap

Do Jim and I have all of these? I think perhaps not?

> So first I tried 'tape-brms-format.tap' and got this:
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OK 23:27:21 0.215 0.000
> backup_restore @@ -mt 0 -index
> [BACKUP_RESTORE Rev. 19.4.5 Copyright (c) Prime Computer, Inc. 1985]

Try ARCHIVE_RESTORE. BRMS had a couple of different tools and tape
format variations. These seem to have been written with ARCHIVE instead
of BACKUP.

I have an ARCHIVE tape that doesn't restore correctly -- I get the heads
of the files, but not the tails. Not sure if it's because the restore
is hosed, or if the save was incomplete. BRMS was a heap of fertilizer,
and everyone knew it. I regret using it to save some things back then.

De

Daiyu Hurst

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Jul 20, 2021, 7:50:42 AM7/20/21

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On Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at 12:39:33 AM UTC-4, Dennis Boone wrote:
> > 12/30/2005 05:45 AM 10,416,478 r19p4-bad-src.tap
> > 12/30/2005 05:23 AM 23,748,048 tape-brms-format.tap
> Do Jim and I have all of these? I think perhaps not?

I'll throw it up on Giggle Drive an send a link...