( ESNUG 447 Item 12 ) ------------------------------------------- [09/26/05]
Subject: ( ESNUG 446 #7 ) Reading Old 9-Track GDSII onto a Modern Computer
> Is there any DOS, Win, or Unix/Linux CAD or GDS2 program out there that
> will read from a GDSII tape backup? I would really like to get these
> chip designs off of these tapes, but without the proper application that
> can do this, I'm at a standstill.
>
> - Curt Vendel
> Atari Historical Society New York, NY
From: David Cuthbert <dacut=user domain=kanga.org>
To: Curt Vendel <curt.vendel=user domain=legacyengineer spot calm>
Hi Curt,
It's possible that I'm completely off my kilter here, but have you tried
using tar on a Unix-ish machine?
Something like "tar t" should list the files on the tape; "tar x" will
extract them. You may have to give a device path, in which case you'll
want something like: "tar tf /dev/rmt/0".
I would advise against using a Linux machine with GNU tools for this;
their tar is non-standard and probably doesn't get tested with actual
tapes much these days.
There's also the "mt" command for magnetic tape manipulation. "mt
rewind", as I recall, will move it back to start; according to the web
page below, you may need to do "mt offline" when you're done.
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~jeffay/dirt/FAQ/backup_tar.html
At any rate, I'm very interested to hear if you're successful with this.
I think one of Bob Pease's recent columns mentioned a Philips part which
was discontinued because they lost the last good mask for the chip (!).
- Dave Cuthbert Pittsburgh, PA
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: Leo Butler <lbutler=user domain=brocade spot calm>
To: Curt Vendel <curt.vendel=user domain=legacyengineer spot calm>
Hello Curt,
I only have one tiny thing to offer -- a 16-bit ISA board that has "9-track
controller" silkscreened on it. I don't recall where I got it or why I
kept it, but it's yours if it might be of any use to you in your quest to
read those tapes.
- Leo Butler
Brocade Communications San Jose, CA
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
From: Curt Vendel <curt.vendel=user domain=legacyengineer spot calm>
Hmmm.........
I'm willing to try anything once. :-) I've got ISO's for BSD and Redhat,
I'll try BSDnet Unix first since BSD was used on a lot of VAX's at the
time and there is a chance that perhaps the s/w used for the "tape-outs"
was unix-based. I'll work on it this coming weekend and let you guys
know how it works out, thanks.
- Curt Vendel
Atari Historical Society New York, NY
Index
Next->Item
|
|
