Wang 2200 - Handling and Storage of

2.5 HAMDLIHG AND STORAGE OF THE REMOVABLE DISK PLATTER (DISK CARTRIDGE)
Refer
to
Appendix: B, Disk
Platter Maintenance Information,
for
a
complete
discussion of the handling and storage of disk platters.
2.6 MODEL 2280/2280N FORMATTING
INSTRUCTIOMS
Before either
the removable disk platter or
any
of the
fixed platters
can initially
be accessed and
used,
it must
be
formatted
by
the disk
processing
unit. Formatting involves
assigning a unique address
to each
sector on,
the
disk
platter, along with certain control information
which helps
the
system maintain the disk and
check
the validity
of
information written to
and ivoat it.
Zeros are then written
into the
remaining area of each sector.
Formatting
also certifies the
platter
and
assigns
alternate
sectors
to those
sectors
that do not meet
certification specifications.
Formatting is
a
software
function on the Model 2280/2280N.
To format
a
platter on the Model 2280/2280N,
the user
need only instruct the disk
controller
to
begin formatting
by
issuing
a
$FORMAT DISK statement.
The
formatting
processes are then performed automatically
by
the disk
processing
unit.
When all sectors
on
the platter
are formatted, the platter
is ready
for
storage of programs
and
data.
With each
Model 2280/2280N disk drive, Wang provides
a
utility
program
which
can
be used to format the disk
platters.
This utility requests the
operator
to
identify
the platter which
is to be
formatted, and then
it
automatically initiates the
format operations. In general, users
will find it
convenient
to use the
Wang-supplied utility for platter formatting. The disk
format utility is
available on the both 2200VP and the 2200MVP System
platter.
In order,
however, to permit
a
programmer
to
develop a
customized
formatting routine,
the $F(StHAT DISK statement used to perform the
formatting
operation is
described as follows:
NOTE
Before beginning
the
format
procedure, press
RESET on the
keyboard
to
initialize
the
drive
and controller.
READY is
displayed on the CRT.
Check
also that
the
READY indicator
on the disk unit
is illuminated. The disk must be
in START
mode prior
to
initiating
the
formatting procedure. The
removable
and each of the fixed
platters
in
a
disk unit
must
be
formatted individually. A
platter can be
formatted
in
approximately
8
minutes.
17