"FRODO::MOSS@cs.umass.EDU".UUCP (03/28/87)
As promised, I am reporting back what I have been able to learn about this issue. 1) I have it on reasonable authority that there is no technical reason an RD54 should not work in a VaxStar, even though some people mentioned they thought it possible that an RD54 would draw too much power or produce too much heat for reliable operation of the system unit. The feasibility is supported by the fact that in earlier seminars on upcoming products the RD54 had been mentioned in connection with VaxStars as one of the drives likely to be supported. 2) The configuration is certainly not supported by DEC now; there are rumblings that it might be at some later time, perhaps as early as some point in the next six months. 3) While one can purchase a diskless VaxStar, and a "bare" RD54, it is not yet known what problems there will be mounting the drive in the cabinet or connecting it for power and signals. To solve this problem (cables in particular), my sales rep is going to check with field service and see if the necessary cables can be had as a spare part (assuming the cables are the same ones as for an RD53). This still leaves the mounting issue, though. Why DEC does not offer and support the RD54 for VaxStars has not become clear. It may be a marketing decision to force purchase of more powerful and expensive systems, or based on the belief that it's not something many customers would want to do. Or it may have been a marketing or technical decision based more on timing -- wanting to get the VaxStar out even though some group is not quite ready to announce an RD54 offering for it. Also, RD54s are selling well, with quite a backlog of orders, and so will VaxStars, and an RD54 option now would only create more of a backlog. This is all speculation, and it could be some, all, or none of these reasons. But I think it wouldn't hurt to let your sales rep know that this is something you want available if you would consider buying it. Another thing that has been mentioned is that RD54s are noisy and that people might not like them on their desk. My recommendation is that if you are at all conservative, you should wait and see what DEC offers, and possibly agitate for an offering of RD54 configurations. I am being adventurous and forging ahead to try it out, especially since the department's facilities manager is game (he said our technical folks could manufacture any necessary cables, etc.) and not overly concerned with voiding warranties, etc. It will be two months or more before we receive any of the equipment and can perform definitive tests. And in the meantime I may find out more, too, which I will report if it's significant. Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. Eliot Moss Ass't Prof.