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Date:      Mon, 15 Nov 1999 03:37:54 -0800 (PST)
From:      Matthew Jacob <mjacob@feral.com>
To:        current@freebsd.org
Subject:   FreeBSD 4.0 SCSI Tape Driver
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.10.9911150337250.81002-100000@beppo.feral.com>

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The design phase for FreeBSD 4.0 is coming to a close. There are a couple
of things I'm planning on (belatedly) for the SCSI tape driver. I'd like
feedback and suggestions about these and other things, so pass 'em my way.

One change I'm thinking about is probably controversial, so I'd like to
get some feedback on it now. Since this is a major release step, this
would be the time to make such changes if at all.

I'd like to make the *default* tape EOT handling behaviour such that all
tapes use only *one* filemark at EOT rather than the current *two*
filemarks at EOT (except for QIC). Probably one of the highest breakage
items for this driver is someone adding yet another unknown QIC-like tape
device which behaves unhappily when the driver tries to write two
filemarks at the end of tape. Insofar as I know, the convention for two
filemarks at the end of tape is useful only for devices that cannot
determine physical eot (1/2" Reel tapes)- and I haven't seen those around
for quite some time.

There already is an ioctl (and control via mt(1)) to change the default
eot model. There could very well also be a config option too. I'd like to
make the 1 Filemark at EOT the default though. I'll have to fix tcopy,
and I want to give some thought so that there are no compatibility
and interchange problems, but if those concerns are adequately covered I
think  this is the right thing to do.

So- let me know, either via this list or privately.
Thanks in advance...

-matt





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