*BSD News Article 26976


Return to BSD News archive

Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!uniwa!DIALix!not-for-mail
From: peter@melbourne.DIALix.oz.au (Peter Wemm)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Buslogic VLB SCSI controller
Date: 8 Feb 1994 00:34:45 +0800
Organization: DIALix Services, Melbourne, Australia.
Lines: 63
Sender: peter@melbourne.DIALix.oz.au
Message-ID: <2j5qj5$o7s$1@melbourne.DIALix.oz.au>
References: <HSU.94Jan28185211@laphroaig.cs.hut.fi> <2ilb3s$1lm@pilhuhn.pilhuhn.sub.org> <2iqpq5$f3r@melbourne.dialix.oz.au> <2is7me$q5e@pdq.coe.montana.edu> <7c_4rxj@qnx.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: melbourne.dialix.oz.au
X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 #55 (NOV)

danh@qnx.com (Dan Hildebrand) writes:
>In article <2is7me$q5e@pdq.coe.montana.edu>,
>Nate Williams <nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu> wrote:
>>In article <2iqpq5$f3r@melbourne.dialix.oz.au>,
>>Peter Wemm <peter@melbourne.DIALix.oz.au> wrote:
>>
>>[ Does Buslogic VLB SCSI controller work with *BSD in native (32-bit) mode? ]
>>
>>>And it doesn't work *at all* with the new Quantum hard drives
>>>(specifically the LPS1080S).  The board locks up during the BIOS
>>>device scan...  I have plenty of info on this if anybody is
>>>interested...
>>
>>Hmm, I'm having problems with the BusLogic and the MAXTOR 540SL drive
>>as well, but it only happens when I try to access the device.

>We recently did some performance and compatibility testing with the 
>Buslogic line of SCSI controller cards under QNX 4.2.  We tested the ISA, 
>EISA and VLBus controller cards with various SCSI hard drives including the 
>Maxtor's and didn't have any compatibility problems.  Every combination 
>under QNX just worked.

I'd like to see QNX run on this combination..  The board locks up
before you get to access the floppy drives for a first-time boot.
It's not an OS problem, it's a *firmware* problem.  The OS does not
get to be an issue...

I some more information:
This BT-445S is the latest revision available.
it has BIOS version 4.70
it has FIRMWARE (aka. "mcode") version 3.35

The drive is a Quantum Empire LPS1080S.

Here's the kicker...   The LPS1080S supports "Tag Queueing" according
to SCSICNTL and an AHA-1542CF.  *none* of the other drives that we
have available support "Tag Queueing", and they all work.  Although
that's not proof, it starts to look interesting.

Nate: Humour me..  What capabilities does scsicntl report for the Maxtor?

Now, a person that I know of in the US reports that the LPS1080S will
work on a BT-747 (might have been 742) with (old) BIOS v. 4.50 and
firmware 3.30, but will not work with the current BIOS/firmware
revisions on the same hardware.

My complaint with BusLogic's support is that they will not respond to
any questions not from North America.  I waited in thier "please hold"
phone queue for 45 minutes (around $80 for the call) before I gave up
and left a message.  They will not (so far) respond to fax, and won't
return a call (which is fair enough I suppose since we are in
Australia).  I tried the BBS - if I ask "Does the combination not work
or am I doing something wrong?" I get my account deleted.. twice...

I'd be very happy if somebody might be able to ask them for me...

Sigh...

-Peter
-- 
Peter Wemm <peter@DIALix.oz.au> - NIC Handle: PW65 - The keeper of "NN"
      "My computer is better than your computer" - Anonymous
  (Overheard, shortly after the creation of the second computer....)