V1/man/man1/dtf.1

        11/3/71                                                      DTF (I)


NAME              dtf -- DECtape format

SYNOPSIS          /etc/dtf

DESCRIPTION       dtf will write timing tracks, mark tracks and
                  block numbers on a virgin DECtape. The format is
                  DEC standard of 578 blocks of 256 words each.
                  The end zones are a little longer than standard DEC.

                  Before use, the tape to be formatted should be mounted on
                  drive 0. The `wall' and `wtm' switches should be enabled.
                  After the tape is formatted, the switches should be
                  disabled to prevent damage to subsequent tapes due to a
                  controller logic error.

FILES

SEE ALSO          sdate

DIAGNOSTICS       "?" is typed for any error detected.

BUGS              This program does physical I/O on drive 0. The processor
                  priority is set very high due to very stringent real time
                  requirements. This means that all time sharing activities
                  are suspended during the formatting (about 1.5 minutes) The
                  real time clock will also be slow.

OWNER             ken