fdformat(1)
NAME
fdformat - format floppy diskette or PCMCIA memory card
SYNOPSIS
fdformat [-dDeEfHlLmMUqvx] [-b label] [-B filename] [-t dos-
type] [devname]
DESCRIPTION
The fdformat utility has been superseded by rmformat(1),
which provides most but not all of fdformat's functionality.
fdformat is used to format diskettes and PCMCIA memory
cards. All new blank diskettes or PCMCIA memory cards must
be formatted before they can be used.
fdformat formats and verifies the media and indicates
whether any bad sectors were encountered. All existing data
on the diskette or PCMCIA memory card, if any, is destroyed
by formatting. If no device name is given, fdformat uses the
diskette as a default.
By default, fdformat uses the configured capacity of the
drive to format the diskette. A 3.5 inch high-density drive
uses diskettes with a formatted capacity of 1.44MB. A 5.25
inch high-density drive uses diskettes with a formatted
capacity of 1.2MB. In either case, a density option does not
have to be specified to fdformat. However, a density option
must be specified when using a diskette with a lower capa-
city than the drive's default. Use the -H option to format
high-density diskettes (1.44MB capacity) in an extra-high-
density (ED) drive. Use the -D option, the -l option, or the
-L option to format double- density (or low-density)
diskettes (720KB capacity) in an HD or ED drive. To format
medium-density diskettes (1.2MB capacity), use the -M option
with -t nec (this is the same as using the -m option with -t
nec).
Extended density uses double-sided, extended-density or
extra-high-density (DS/ED) diskettes. Medium and high densi-
ties use the same media: double-sided, high-density (DS/HD)
diskettes. Double (low) density uses double-sided, double-
density (DS/DD
D) diskettes. Substituting diskettes of one density for
diskettes of either a higher or lower density generally does
not work. Data integrity cannot be assured whenever a
diskette is formatted to a capacity not matching its den-
sity.
A PCMCIA memory card with densities from 512KB to 64MB may
be formatted.
fdformat writes new identification and data fields for each
sector on all tracks unless the -x option is specified. For
diskettes, each sector is verified if the -v option is
specified.
After formatting and verifying, fdformat writes an
operating-system label on block 0. Use the -t dos option
(same as the -d option) to put an MS-DOS file system on the
diskette or PCMCIA memory card after the format is done. Use
the -t nec option with the -M option (same as the -m option)
to put an NEC-DOS file system on a diskette. Otherwise,
fdformat writes a SunOS label in block 0.
OPTIONS
The following options are supported:
-b label
Labels the media with volume label. A SunOS volume
label is restricted to 8 characters. A DOS volume
label is restricted to 11 upper-case characters.
-B filename
Installs special boot loader in filename on an MS-DOS
diskette. This option is only meaningful when the -d
option (or -t dos) is also specified.
-D Formats a 720KB (3.5 inch) or 360KB (5.25 inch)
double-density diskette (same as the -l or -L
options). This is the default for double-density type
drives. It is needed if the drive is a high- or
extended-density type.
-e Ejects the diskette when done. This feature is not
available on all systems.
-E Formats a 2.88MB (3.5 inch) extended-density diskette.
This is the default for extended-density type drives.
-f Forces formatting, that is, this option does not ask
for confirmation before starting format.
-H Formats a 1.44MB (3.5 inch) or 1.2MB (5.25 inch)
high-density diskette. This is the default for high-
density type drives; it is needed if the drive is the
extended-density type.
-M Writes a 1.2MB (3.5 inch) medium-density format on a
high-density diskette (use only with the -t nec
option). This is the same as using -m.
This feature is not available on all systems.
-q Quiet; does not print status messages.
-t dos
Installs an MS-DOS file system and boot sector format-
ting. This is equivalent to the DOS format command or
the -d option.
-t nec
Installs an NEC-DOS file system and boot sector on the
disk after formatting. This should be used only with
the -M option. This feature is not available on all
systems.
-U Performs umount on any file systems and then formats.
See mount(1M).
-v Verifies each block of the diskette after the format.
-x Skips the format and only writes a SunOS label or an
MS-DOS file system.
OPERANDS
The following operands are supported:
devname
Replaces devname with rdiskette0 (systems without
Volume Management) or floppy0 (systems with Volume
Management) to use the first drive or rdiskette1 (sys-
tems without Volume Management) or floppy1 (systems
with Volume Management) to use the second drive. If
devname is omitted, the first drive, if one exists, is
used. For PCMCIA memory cards, replace devname with
the device name for the PCMCIA memory card which
resides in /dev/rdsk/cNtNdNsN or /dev/dsk/cNtNdNsN. If
devname is omitted, the default diskette drive, if one
exists, is used.
If devname is omitted, the default diskette drive, if
one exists, will be used. N represents a decimal
number and can be specified as follows:
cN Controller N
tN Technology type N:
0x1 ROM
0x2 OTPROM
0x3 EPROM
0x4 EEPROM
0x5 FLASH
0x6 SRAM
0x7 DRAM
dN Technology region in type N.
sN Slice N.
The following options are provided for compatibility with
previous versions of fdformat. Their use is discouraged.
-d Formats an MS-DOS floppy diskette or PCMCIA memory
card (same as -t dos). This is equivalent to the MS-
DOS FORMAT command.
-l Formats a 720KB (3.5 inch) or 360KB (5.25 inch)
double-density diskette (same as -D or -L). This is
the default for double-density type drives; it is
needed if the drive is the high- or extended-density
type.
-L Formats a 720KB (3.5 inch) or 360KB (5.25 inch)
double-density diskette (same as -l or -D). This is
the default for double-density type drives.
-m Writes a 1.2 MB (3.5 inch) medium- density format on a
high-density diskette (use only with the- t nec
option). This is the same as using -M. This feature is
not available on all systems.
FILES
/vol/dev/diskette0
Directory providing block device access for the media
in floppy drive 0.
/vol/dev/diskette0
Directory providing character device access for the
media in floppy drive 0.
/vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
Symbolic link to the character device for the media in
floppy drive 0.
/dev/rdiskette
Directory providing character device access for the
media in the primary floppy drive, usually drive 0.
/vol/dev/dsk/cNtNdNsN
Directory providing block device access for the PCMCIA
memory card. See OPERANDS for a description of N.
/vol/dev/rdsk/cNtNdNsN
Directory providing character device access for the
PCMCIA memory card. See OPERANDS for a description of
N.
/vol/dev/aliases/pcmemS
Symbolic link to the character device for the PCMCIA
memory card in socket S where S represents a PCMCIA
socket number.
/dev/rdsk/cNtNdNsN
Directory providing character device access for the
PCMCIA memory card. See OPERANDS for a description of
N.
/dev/dsk/cNtNdNsN
Directory providing block device access for the PCMCIA
memory card. See OPERANDS for a description of N.
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:
____________________________________________________________
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Availability | SUNWcsu |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
SEE ALSO
cpio(1), eject(1), rmformat(1), tar(1), volcancel(1), vol-
check(1), volmissing(1), volrmmount(1), mount(1M),
newfs(1M), prtvtoc(1M), vold(1M), rmmount.conf(4),
vold.conf(4), attributes(5), pcfs(7FS), volfs(7FS)
x86 Only
fd(7D)
NOTES
A diskette or PCMCIA memory card containing a ufs file sys-
tem created on a SPARC based system (by using fdformat and
newfs(1M)), is not identical to a diskette or PCMCIA memory
card containing a ufs file system created on an x86 based
system. Do not interchange ufs diskettes or memory cards
between these platforms. Use cpio(1) or tar(1) to transfer
files on diskettes or memory cards between them. A diskette
or PCMCIA memory card formatted using the -t dos option (or
-d) for MS-DOS does not have the necessary system files, and
is therefore not bootable. Trying to boot from it on a PC
produces the following message:
Non-System disk or disk error.
Replace and strike any key when ready
BUGS
Currently, bad sector mapping is not supported on floppy
diskettes or PCMCIA memory cards. Therefore, a diskette or
memory card is unusable if fdformat finds an error (bad sec-
tor).
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