John Korb ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
 
: Your best source of information information (for MPE V/E systems) will be
: the MPE V Tables Manual (the contents of which is covered by
: non-disclosure).  The Tables Manual has all the information you need.  If
: you don't have it, I think there is also some information in one of the the
: standard MPE/iX manuals (Native Mode Spooler?) that gives the spoolfile
: block format and makes note that the block format is unchanged from that of
: V/E (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but all the iX spoolfiles I've
: examined match those of V/E).  Have you tried FCOPYing a few files (say
: maybe a dozen or so) from a SPOOK tape with ;HEX;CHAR?
 
If only it were that easy...  Yes, Appendix A of the NMS Reference Manual
shows you the spool file block format, but I think Andrew was referring to
the format of the Spook tape itself, complete with volume headers, directory
image, etc., ad nauseam.  This format dates from the early days of MPE, when
people didn't recognize the importance of documenting these kinds of struc-
tures.  As a result, the spooler team encountered many problems while we
were designing SPFXFER, as we had to reverse-engineer the structures from
Spook tapes and the Spook code itself.  We're still hearing about corner
cases of Spook tapes causing errors when read with SPFXFER.
 
Good luck.
 
-Larry "MPE/iX Spoolers 'R' Us" Byler-
PS, hope this reads OK, my window looks strange.