ZuluSCSI - Revision history

PoC: Moved content to GitHub repo

2026-09-22T19:52:21Z

Moved content to GitHub repo

PoC: /* Tape drive support */ missing word

2026-09-10T16:10:32Z

Tape drive support: missing word

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:10, 10 September 2026
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	To use,		To use,
	* create directory <code>TP0</code>,		* create directory <code>TP0</code>,
	* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code>,		* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code> command,
	* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.		* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.

PoC: /* Tape drive support */ Rework

2026-09-10T16:09:38Z

Tape drive support: Rework

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:09, 10 September 2026
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	=== Tape drive support ===		=== Tape drive support ===
	Currently, two tape drives are emulated:		Currently, two tape drives are emulated:
	* a CISC era QIC1000, FC #6343,		* <code>Device = "AS400_CISC"</code>, a CISC era QIC1000, FC #6343,
	* a PCI/RISC era SLR5 drive.		* <code>Device = "AS400_PPC"</code>, a PCI/RISC era SLR5 drive.

			To use,
	* create directory <code>TP0</code>,		* create directory <code>TP0</code>,
	* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code>,		* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code>,
	* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.		* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.

			Without any ''Device'' parameter, a standard tape drive is emulated, with no special AS/400 quirks. This works with many PPC/PCI machines. However, the presence of a ''TapeDensity'' parameter seems necessary in ''zuluscsi.ini''.
			[SCSI0]
			TapeDensity = 0x25

			For trying an emulated SLR5 drive:
	* ''zuluscsi.ini'':		* ''zuluscsi.ini'':
	[SCSI0]		[SCSI0]

PoC: /* Examples */ More precise on tapes

2026-09-08T12:15:29Z

Examples: More precise on tapes

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:15, 8 September 2026
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	=== Tape drive support ===		=== Tape drive support ===
			Currently, two tape drives are emulated:
			* a CISC era QIC1000, FC #6343,
			* a PCI/RISC era SLR5 drive.

	* create directory <code>TP0</code>,		* create directory <code>TP0</code>,
	* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code>,		* populate with one or more 0 byte files named <code>*.tap</code> files, e. g. by using the Unix <code>touch</code>,
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	* When you choose an image file through the USB port's media menu, make sure that you not only choose an image file, but afterwards ''insert'' it!		* When you choose an image file through the USB port's media menu, make sure that you not only choose an image file, but afterwards ''insert'' it!
	* If you replace a hardware tape drive, make sure to delete your old tape device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.		* If you replace a hardware tape drive, make sure to delete your old tape device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.
	* The amended (with an explicit ''Device'' statement) tape code as of v2026.08.28 has not yet undergone extensive testing.		* The amended (with an explicit ''Device'' statement) tape code as of v2026.08.28 has not yet undergone extensive testing. Initial tests yield mixed results.

	=== CD drive support ===		=== CD drive support ===
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	* If you replace a hardware CD drive, make sure to delete your old CD device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.		* If you replace a hardware CD drive, make sure to delete your old CD device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.

	Tested with Firmware 2026-08-07, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2: IPL only so far, but that works.		Tested with Firmware 2026-08-07, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2: IPL only so far, but that works. '''Note:''' CISC era OS/400 has no CD-ROM support whatsoever.

	=== Disk drive support ===		=== Disk drive support ===

PoC: /* Tape drive support */ Removed inert entry

2026-08-29T20:59:40Z

Tape drive support: Removed inert entry

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:59, 29 August 2026
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	* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.		* use the serial console to attach image(s) to the drive.
	* ''zuluscsi.ini'':		* ''zuluscsi.ini'':
	~~[SCSI]~~
	~~System = "AS400_PPC"~~

	[SCSI0]		[SCSI0]
	Device = "AS400_PPC"		Device = "AS400_PPC"

PoC: /* Tape drive support */ Typo

2026-08-29T20:58:27Z

Tape drive support: Typo

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:58, 29 August 2026
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	* ''zuluscsi.ini'':		* ''zuluscsi.ini'':
	[SCSI]		[SCSI]
	System="AS400_PPC"		System = "AS400_PPC"

	[SCSI0]		[SCSI0]

PoC: /* Disk drive support */ Typo

2026-08-29T20:51:58Z

Disk drive support: Typo

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:51, 29 August 2026
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	[SCSI]		[SCSI]
	System = AS400_PPC		System = AS400_PPC

	[SCSI6]		[SCSI6]
	AS400_DiskProfile = "09L4044"		AS400_DiskProfile = "09L4044"

PoC: Reworked after release

2026-08-29T20:51:30Z

Reworked after release

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:51, 29 August 2026
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	[SCSI0]		[SCSI0]
	~~TapeDensity~~ = ~~0x25~~		Device = "AS400_PPC"

	Caveats:		Caveats:
	* When you choose an image file through the USB port's media menu, make sure that you not only choose an image file, but afterwards ''insert'' it!		* When you choose an image file through the USB port's media menu, make sure that you not only choose an image file, but afterwards ''insert'' it!
	* If you replace a hardware tape drive, make sure to delete your old tape device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.		* If you replace a hardware tape drive, make sure to delete your old tape device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.
			* The amended (with an explicit ''Device'' statement) tape code as of v2026.08.28 has not yet undergone extensive testing.
	~~This configuration has been tested over the course~~ of ~~multiple weeks:~~
	* Occasional <tt>go save</tt> 21,
	* daily differential backups,
	* occasional single file restores.

	~~Tested with Firmware 2026-06-12, 9401-150, V4R5~~.

	=== CD drive support ===		=== CD drive support ===
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	* If you replace a hardware CD drive, make sure to delete your old CD device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.		* If you replace a hardware CD drive, make sure to delete your old CD device file first, then IPL, check/set the new device name in DST, and have auto-configuration create the new device file during the following IPL.

	Tested with Firmware 2026-08-07, 9401-150, V4R4: IPL only so far.		Tested with Firmware 2026-08-07, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2: IPL only so far, but that works.

	=== Disk drive support ===		=== Disk drive support ===
	The officially released code base is able to present ~~a singular #6717, 8.5 GiB~~ disk ~~drive~~ to the system, initialize, and install SLIC + base OS/400 + LPPs + PTFs.		The officially released code base is able to present multiple disk drives to the system, initialize, and install SLIC + base OS/400 + LPPs + PTFs.

	* ~~Generate disk image:~~		* Copy ''as400_disk_definitions.txt'' from the official GitHub repository to the SD card.
	~~dd if=/dev/zero~~ of~~=HD6.img bs=522 count=17177940 status=progress~~		** Because of serial numbers currently being hard coded, only one disk per type should be used for now!
	* ''zuluscsi.ini'':		* ''zuluscsi.ini'':
	[SCSI]		[SCSI]
Line 132:		Line 126:

	[SCSI6]		[SCSI6]
			AS400_DiskProfile = "09L4044"
	PrefetchBytes = 0		PrefetchBytes = 0

			When a ''AS400_DiskProfile'' is configured for a given SCSI ID, and the associated image cannot be found on the SD card, a new one is generated automatically, with the correct size. This takes some time, so wait until the activity LED stays unlit.

			There is a shell-script <code>utils/extract_as400_disk_data.sh</code> in the original source tree on GitHub to generate more ''as400_disk_definitions.txt'' entries from real disks connected to a SCSI controller when ran under Linux.

	Caveats:		Caveats:
	* Writes to the emulated disk are very slow compared to reads.		* Writes to the emulated disk are very slow compared to reads.
	* One user with a RP2040 reported failure for the disk to be recognized. Prerelease firmware solved the issue.

	Fully tested with Firmware ~~2026-~~08~~-21~~, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2.		Fully tested with Firmware v2026.08.27RC1, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2.

	== Current state ==		== Current state ==
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	There are success reports of more 150's working, and one of a 9406-270 becoming stuck with A6000244, ''Contact was lost with device indicated''.		There are success reports of more 150's working, and one of a 9406-270 becoming stuck with A6000244, ''Contact was lost with device indicated''.

	~~== Next ==~~
	~~These features are completed, partially tested, but did not make it to the official releases yet:~~
	* More disk profiles, loadable in ''zuluscsi.ini'' via external file ''as400_disk_definitions.txt'', so different types than the built-in 522 bytes, 8.5 GiB #6717 can be assigned.
	** Shellscript to generate more ''as400_disk_definitions.txt'' entries from real disks connected to a SCSI controller when ran under Linux
	** Because of serial numbers currently being hard coded, only one disk per type should be used
	* Allowed more memory to accommodate the necessary VPD SCSI pages for multiple disks
	* Present captured real tape VPD/SCSI data from IBM SLR5/QIC1000 when using <code>Device = "AS400_PPC"</code> or <code>Device = "AS400_CISC"</code> in an ID stanza

	== See also ==		== See also ==

PoC: Reworked

2026-08-29T19:54:09Z

Reworked

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:54, 29 August 2026
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	The ZuluSCSI firmware can emulate multiple devices at once. There is no real need to add multiple Zulus to a given SCSI bus. One Zulu can easily saturate even the UltraWide SCSI bus of a 9401-150, and due to the SD card, delays are minimal. You can gain more performance with bigger machines, if they have multiple SCSI buses, though.		The ZuluSCSI firmware can emulate multiple devices at once. There is no real need to add multiple Zulus to a given SCSI bus. One Zulu can easily saturate even the UltraWide SCSI bus of a 9401-150, and due to the SD card, delays are minimal. You can gain more performance with bigger machines, if they have multiple SCSI buses, though.

			<blockquote>'''Note:''' Current state of affairs is that at least for writes, the SD card itself is a considerable brake shoe for writes, presumably because of so called 'Write Amplification''. This is not meant to stay like this forever. Optimizations are possible and will be implemented eventually.</blockquote>

	== Hardware overview ==		== Hardware overview ==
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	The firmware presents a simple menu driven UI for some tasks.		The firmware presents a simple menu driven UI for some tasks.

	There is no need to shut down the device itself, it's safe to "pull the plug" when there is no activity. The Operating System running on the attached computer should, though.		There is no need to shut down the device itself, it's safe to "pull the plug" when there is no activity. The Operating System running on the attached computer should be orderly shut down, though.

	== Configuration ==		== Configuration ==
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	=== Directories ===		=== Directories ===
	For a device usually allowing dynamic addition and removal of media — CD-ROM-, and tape drives. The naming scheme follows the same structure as files, but ''[any text]'' must be omitted.		For a device usually allowing dynamic addition and removal of media — CD-ROM-, and tape drives, you can create a directory instead of a file. The naming scheme follows the same structure as files, but ''[any text]'' must be omitted.

	Files within the directories can be freely named~~, and are used in alphabetical order~~.~~<ref>Either through the~~ ''Eject'' button~~, or~~ the ~~media~~ menu.~~</ref>~~		Files within the directories can be freely named. The ''Eject'' button loads and inserts the next image in order. Individual images can be inserted through the menu via USB.

	=== Configuration file ===		=== Configuration file ===
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	* One user with a RP2040 reported failure for the disk to be recognized. Prerelease firmware solved the issue.		* One user with a RP2040 reported failure for the disk to be recognized. Prerelease firmware solved the issue.

	Fully tested with Firmware 2026-08-21, 9401-150, V4R4.		Fully tested with Firmware 2026-08-21, 9401-150, V4R4, V5R2.

	== Current state ==		== Current state ==
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	* Allowed more memory to accommodate the necessary VPD SCSI pages for multiple disks		* Allowed more memory to accommodate the necessary VPD SCSI pages for multiple disks
	* Present captured real tape VPD/SCSI data from IBM SLR5/QIC1000 when using <code>Device = "AS400_PPC"</code> or <code>Device = "AS400_CISC"</code> in an ID stanza		* Present captured real tape VPD/SCSI data from IBM SLR5/QIC1000 when using <code>Device = "AS400_PPC"</code> or <code>Device = "AS400_CISC"</code> in an ID stanza

	~~Currently contained in v2026.08.27-RC1.~~

	== See also ==		== See also ==

PoC: /* Current state */ updates

2026-08-28T08:01:13Z

Current state: updates

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:01, 28 August 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	All successful tests so far have been based on a ZuluSCSI wide board, while the CISC tests have been done with a ZuluSCSI Blaster.		All successful tests so far have been based on a ZuluSCSI wide board on a 9401-150, while the CISC tests have been done with a ZuluSCSI Blaster on a 9401-P02.

			There are success reports of more 150's working, and one of a 9406-270 becoming stuck with A6000244, ''Contact was lost with device indicated''.

	== Next ==		== Next ==