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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!news.kei.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.erols.net!worldnet.att.net!arclight.uoregon.edu!pith.uoregon.edu!Symiserver2.symantec.com!news From: tedm@agora.rdrop.com Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: Seeking advice on new system purchase Date: 28 Dec 1996 20:24:51 GMT Organization: Symantec Corp. Lines: 26 Message-ID: <5a3vmj$59d@Symiserver2.symantec.com> References: <59dhb9$p6g@shellx.best.com> <59r9ka$m4f@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> Reply-To: tedm@agora.rdrop.com NNTP-Posting-Host: shiva1.central.com X-Newsreader: IBM NewsReader/2 v1.2.5 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:33359 In <59r9ka$m4f@csugrad.cs.vt.edu>, jaitken@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Jeff Aitken) writes: >Tony Porczyk (tporczyk@best.com) wrote: > >: 3. Within a foreseable future I would like to add a SCSI tape and >: perhaps even a writeable CDROM (primarily for use with another OS). >: Would Adaptec 3940 be appropriate for such a task? (to split the >: primary hard drive from tape and CD). Or would it be better to buy >: two separate 2940s? Am I misunderstanding the purpose of 3940? > >There's no reason (given the situation you've described) to have more >than one SCSI controller in this system. Actual numbers vary from OS He didn't say what kind of tape drive he was planning on putting on, but there is a valid reason to place the tape drive on a separate SCSI buss (not necessairly a controller) espically if it is an external tape drive. If the tape is a SCSI-1 that does not support/properly implement the SCSI disconnection command, (many older 4mm drives are like this, as well as most QIC's) then the tape will seize the SCSI bus while it is doing it's thing. Also, if the tape drive is external and separate, it can be turned off and unplugged and carried to another machine, used, and returned without powering down the Unix box. >