Messages in this thread |  | | Date | Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:37:27 +0300 (EET DST) | From | Linus Torvalds <> | Subject | Re: Can Linux read DMF format floppies? |
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On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Ron Holt wrote: > > Can Linux read DMF format floppies? DMF is Microsoft's "Distribution Media > Format". Some of the applications they make are distributed in this floppy > format. I don't know the exact geometry of these floppies. I've been > told it's something like 21 instead of 18 sectors per track. Does anyone > know where I can find a spec for DMF?
Linux should be able to read them: there may even be a pre-set format for them.
/dev/fd0H1680 (major 2, minor 44) should be a 21x2x80 3.5" floppy.
/dev/fd0H1722 (major 2, minor 60) should be a 21x2x82 3.5" floppy.
/dev/fd0H1743 (major 2, minor 76) should be a 21x2x83 3.5" floppy.
As to whether they actually work, I don't know. You can also create your own geometries with the set_geometry ioctl - I think there is a "superfloppy" package somewhere (Alain?) that contains the stuff to do all this.
> PS. Yes, I've looked at floppy.c in the kernel source...
My condoleances. It's horrible. A rats nest of code that is totally incomprehensible. The only thing that excuses some of the code is the fact that the hardware itself is such a rats nest. Ugh.
Oh, btw: check out "http://www2.us.com/msd1/msd1/dmf.html". It looks like DMF is the 21x2x80 format (the first one on my list).
Linus
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