Number: 631

Date: 10-Apr-84 16':56':58

Submitter: Sannella.PA

Source: Wallace.pa

Subject: Want to copy floppies between two Dlions on a net

Assigned To: 

Attn: vanMelle, Roach, Masinter, LispCore↑

Status: Open

In/By: 

Problem Type: Performance

Impact: Moderate

Difficulty: Hard

Frequency: Everytime

Priority: Perhaps

System: Operating System

Subsystem: 

Machine: 

Disk: 

Lisp Version: 

Source Files: 

Microcode Version: 

Memory Size: 

File Server: 

Server Software Version: 

Disposition: '
[mjs 4/13/84': since kelly doesn''t want it, I attn':ed it to lisp.  May happen some say]'
'
I think this would work if FTPSERVER could be fixed to talk about FLOPPY. That could work if (a) {HIS}{FLOPPY}name  was parsed as "{FLOPPY}name" on host HIS rather than "name" on host HIS}{FLOPPY, which is a misfeature in UNPACKFILENAME et al., and if FTPSERVER allowed requests for other local devices than DSK.'
'
Finally, if FLOPPY were done with a pseudo-device {FLOPPYCONTENTS} which denoted the whole contents of a floppy, so that FLOPPY.TO.FILE was merely COPYFILE({FLOPPYCONTENTS} file) and FLOPPY.FROM.FILE was COPYFILE(file {FLOPPYCONTENTS}),'
'
after all of that, you could run FTPSERVER on one machine and'
'
COPYFILE({HIS}{FLOPPYCONTENTS} {FLOPPYCONTENTS})'
'
'
["masinter" "12-Sep-84 12':31':03" Attn': Status':(Wish->Open) Impact':(Minor->Moderate) Difficulty':(Very% Hard->Hard) Priority':(Unlikely->Perhaps) Subsystem':(DLion% Floppy->) Disposition':]

Description: '
Date':  8 Apr 84 23':21 PST'
From': Wallace.pa'
Subject': Lisp': Copying floppies.'
To': LispSupport.pa'
'
Lisp System Date':  8-Apr-84 18':02':02'
Machine': Dlion'
Frequency': Always'
Impact': Minor'
'
IWBNI there were a way to copy floppies over the ethernet (even accessing them via {foo.floppy} would be acceptable).  Right now you have to do floppy.from.file and floppy.to.file which take 15-20 minutes each.'
'
david'
'
-----'
'
Date': 12 Apr 84 16':50 PST'
From': Roach.pa'
Subject': AR631, Copying floppies'
To': LISPSUPPORT'
     The problem isn''t trivial since you must get both 1108s to cooperate on the common task.  Internet communication between machines could be better and the EVALSERVER package seems to be a good first try at achieving the communication prerequisite to solving AR361.  Just the same,  using FLOPPY.FROM.FILE & FLOPPY.TO.FILE isn''t all that bad.  If the objective is just to copy a floppy once in a while, eat a longer lunch.  If the idea is to once in while make multiple copies of a master floppy, putting the floppy image on a file server using FLOPPY.TO.FILE so that multiple 1108s can access this file using FLOPPY.FROM.FILE seems to be quite reasonable.  Users actually in the business of copying floppies would probably use mechanical copiers instead of 1108s.  Though AR361 is legitimate, it is really too heavy an investment to make to correct the problem in the absence of evalserver-like tools in the language and even if the tools were available, the problem wouldn''t become easy.  (What does IWBNI mean?)'
	Difficulty ← Very Hard'
	Priority ← Unlikely'
	Status ← Declined'


Workaround: 

Test Case: 

Edit-By: masinter

Edit-Date: 12-Sep-84 12':31':05