Dear all
Thanks to Alan and Tom, although their suggestions proved to be not the
correct direction.
It turns out to definitely be a software problem with the jumbo patch kit
0004.  I had (as Tom stated in various summaries in the archives) removed
and redid the ./MAKEDEV tz5 (last night before I sent the message to the
manager's list).  What I didn't do last night is remove the drive and test
it on a different machine we have (a DEC 3100 using Ultrix 4.2).  I did
this today and it worked fine.  When I put the tape drive back on the
alpha (255/300) and redid (for the nth time) the ./MAKEDEV,  the computer
still (in doing a mt status) thinks that the tape is scsi 4:
>./MAKDEV
MAKEDEV: special file(s) for tz5: 
rmt0l 
rmt0h 
rmt0m 
rmt0a 
nrmt0l 
nrmt0h 
nrmt0m 
nrmt0a 
>mt -f /dev/nrmt0h status
DEVIOGET ELEMENT        CONTENTS
----------------        --------
category                DEV_TAPE
bus                     DEV_SCSI
interface               SCSI
device                  DAT    0
adpt_num                0
nexus_num               0
bus_num                 0
ctlr_num                0
slave_num               4
dev_name                tz
unit_num                4
soft_count              0
hard_count              0
stat                    5
                        DEV_BOM DEV_OFFLINE 
category_stat           20000
                        DEV_61000_BPI
DEVGETINFO ELEMENT      CONTENTS
------------------      --------
media_status            0x1
                        BOM 
unit_status             0x122
                        Offline 2_FM_Close Rewind Buffered 
record_size             512
density (current)       61000 BPI
density (on write)      0 BPI
Filemark Cnt            <Not Valid>
Record Cnt              <Not Valid>
Class                   2 - RDAT
MTIOCGET ELEMENT        CONTENTS
----------------        --------
mt_type                 MT_ISSCSI
mt_dsreg                0
mt_erreg                0
mt_resid                0
>mt -f /dev/nrmt0h offline    (with a tape in the drive)
Error on device named /dev/nrmt0h - Place DAT    0 tape drive unit #4
ONLINE
And I do know that the computer sees the correct scsi number:
(Thanks Alan)
>scu show edt bus 0                     (gives)
*******skipped********
    Device: RRD45 Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 0, Type: Read-Only Direct Access
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 1, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 2, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 3, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 4, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 5, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 6, Type: (not present)
    Device: RRD45    Bus: 0, Target: 4, Lun: 7, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 0, Type: Sequential 
Access
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 1, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 2, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 3, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 4, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 5, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 6, Type: (not present) 
    Device: DAT 02779-XXX Bus: 0, Target: 5, Lun: 7, Type: (not present) 
SO, I thought about what I had done before I had installed the patch.
I remembered that I had used the tape drive successfully, (tars, dumps,
even rfits related stuff in IRAF for those who know astronomy programs). 
I wonder if it is a problem with the ddr.db created by ddr.dbase.  Do I
need to reconfigure this database (I doubt it, but thought I'd ask.)
I will probably remove the patch, unless there is already a patch for the
MAKEDEV script.  If there is more info about the reasons as to why the
MAKEDEV script doesn't recognize the correct scsi device, please let me
know.   
Thanks again.
Jerry
-------------------------------------------
               Jerry Ponder
    Department of Physics and Astronomy
         Arizona State University
          Tempe, Az, 85287-1504
     Email:  ponder_at_groucho.la.asu.edu
-------------------------------------------
Received on Mon Jul 07 1997 - 23:43:17 NZST