[comp.sys.att] info on 7300 disk drives

mark@gizzmo.UUCP (mark hilliard) (05/13/87)

>>Your 7300 diagnostic disc tells you all the acceptable types of
>>HD drives in the HD formatting menu. This includes a 67MB drive.

>The Unix PC will support a lot of different disk drives.  To get a partial
>list look in /usr/lib/iv.

Yes the pc will support a lot of drives. I recently put an 80 meg on my 
system (Micropolis 1325) and  a Wren II on a friends system.  The cables
are easy to make and install. You can purchase a Wren II from Software
Solutions for $950.00 with a 1 year warrenty. This drive will format
out to 62 meg due to the fact that it has 1 more head than the 7300
can handle.  The 1325 can be purchased for about $1200 and formats out
to 67 meg on the 7300. Both of these drives are voice coil heads with
36ms average access time. Beware of lower cost drives. Most including
Seagate are stepper motor drive for the heads and are noisy and slower.
The hard drive on any virtual memory system (7300) is the weakest point
in the system, and therefore the one item that you should pay more to get
a faster one. Look for a AVERAGE ACCESS TIME of 38 ms or LESS. Track to 
track time is meaningless if the average time is slower.  The last time
that I looked there were about 40 drives listed in the iv directory,
but you can install ANY SASI or SCSI drive on the 7300. 

Check with Amperfax on their 2 drives that they offer and ask about
speed and price, but dont forget about warrenty. Warrenty is more important
than price in my view. Amperfax gives TWICE the warrenty as ANYONE else.
If you want to go for a 80 meg (67 meg) drive, contact Software Solutions
about the Wren II (1 year warrenty), or look in byte for adds on the 1325.
The 1325 is the BEST 80 meg drive on the market (quality and speed) but it
is also the most expensive.  

There are several articles on the unix-pc.general newsgroup concerning drives
and installation of drives on the 7300, and one that actually gives step
by step instructions. Investigate joining this private news service and you
too can receive this information first hand. There are feeds all over the
country.  Contact me for information on how to access this private news
service.


-- 
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                                                    ethos----------\
Mark Hilliard                                seismo!rochester!kodak!gizzmo!mark
					            fthood---------/

mr@homxb.UUCP (mark) (05/14/87)

In article <166@gizzmo.UUCP>, mark@gizzmo.UUCP (mark hilliard) writes:
> >>Your 7300 diagnostic disc tells you all the acceptable types of
> >>HD drives in the HD formatting menu. This includes a 67MB drive.
> 
> >The Unix PC will support a lot of different disk drives.  To get a partial
> >list look in /usr/lib/iv.
> 
> Yes the pc will support a lot of drives. I recently put an 80 meg on my 
> system (Micropolis 1325) and  a Wren II on a friends system.  The cables

The Micropolis 1325 is a 70 MB. which formats to 67 MB.

> are easy to make and install. You can purchase a Wren II from Software
> Solutions for $950.00 with a 1 year warrenty. This drive will format
> out to 62 meg due to the fact that it has 1 more head than the 7300
> can handle.  The 1325 can be purchased for about $1200 and formats out
> to 67 meg on the 7300. Both of these drives are voice coil heads with
> 36ms average access time. Beware of lower cost drives. Most including

Average access time for the 325 is 28 ms.

> Seagate are stepper motor drive for the heads and are noisy and slower.
> The hard drive on any virtual memory system (7300) is the weakest point
> in the system, and therefore the one item that you should pay more to get
> a faster one. Look for a AVERAGE ACCESS TIME of 38 ms or LESS. Track to 
> track time is meaningless if the average time is slower.  The last time
> that I looked there were about 40 drives listed in the iv directory,
> but you can install ANY SASI or SCSI drive on the 7300. 
> 
> Check with Amperfax on their 2 drives that they offer and ask about
> speed and price, but dont forget about warrenty. Warrenty is more important
> than price in my view. Amperfax gives TWICE the warrenty as ANYONE else.
> If you want to go for a 80 meg (67 meg) drive, contact Software Solutions
> about the Wren II (1 year warrenty), or look in byte for adds on the 1325.
> The 1325 is the BEST 80 meg drive on the market (quality and speed) but it
> is also the most expensive.  

It has gone down in price drastically over the last year. I bought one
for about $1750.00 last year and have seen it advertised recently for
$950.00

> There are several articles on the unix-pc.general newsgroup concerning drives
> and installation of drives on the 7300, and one that actually gives step
> by step instructions. Investigate joining this private news service and you
> too can receive this information first hand. There are feeds all over the
> country.  Contact me for information on how to access this private news
> service.
> 
>                                                     ethos----------\
> Mark Hilliard                                seismo!rochester!kodak!gizzmo!mark
> 					            fthood---------/

Mark
homxb!mr

mark@gizzmo.UUCP (05/15/87)

>The Micropolis 1325 is a 70 MB. which formats to 67 MB.

You are right of course, the 1325 is unformatted at 80.
It is still the best drive on the market (in my humble opinion).

>Average access time for the 325 is 28 ms.
 
Again, a you are right, a momentary loss of memory!


You can call me for a list of computer sites that support the unix private
network at 315-986-4080. Ask for Mark, or send me a letter on the net.


-- 
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                                                    ethos----------\
Mark Hilliard                                seismo!rochester!kodak!gizzmo!mark
					            fthood---------/

psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Peter Fales) (05/19/87)

> that I looked there were about 40 drives listed in the iv directory,
> but you can install ANY SASI or SCSI drive on the 7300. 
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WRONG!!  Sorry to flame, but I would hate to see anyone go out and purchase
a SCSI drive.  The 7300 uses ST506 drives like those used on the 6300 and
other PCs.  In fact, I have interchanged drives between the two systems
(with nothing more than a reformat)

-- 
Peter Fales		UUCP:	...ihnp4!ihlpe!psfales
			work:	(312) 979-7784
				AT&T Information Systems, IW 1Z-243
				1100 E. Warrenville Rd., IL 60566

hill@kodak.UUCP (05/20/87)

In article <1750@ihlpe.ATT.COM> psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Peter Fales) writes:
> WRONG!!  Sorry to flame, but I would hate to see anyone go out and purchase
>a SCSI drive.  The 7300 uses ST506 drives like those used on the 6300 and

WRONG again, the SASI and SCSI are acronyms that the drive companies give to
their standard ST506 interfaces! If a drive is a SASI it IS a ST506.  Please
check out your facts before making generalized statements about winchester
drives. I have been installing SASI and SCSI drives in the 7300 and 3B1 for
over a year now.


SASI stands for Sugart Associates Standard Interface  which the other 
companies didnt like so they renamed it to SCSI which means Small Computer
Standard Interface.  They are both the same and both ST506, which some other
companies call ST412.

rsanders@watdcsu.UUCP (05/20/87)

In article <856@kodak.UUCP> hill@kodak.UUCP (mark hilliard) writes:
>In article <1750@ihlpe.ATT.COM> psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Peter Fales) writes:
>> WRONG!!  Sorry to flame, but I would hate to see anyone go out and purchase
>>a SCSI drive.  The 7300 uses ST506 drives like those used on the 6300 and

Sorry, but the origional posting was RIGHT ! I am not sure about the specifics
of th 7300, but the interface standards I do.

>
>WRONG again, the SASI and SCSI are acronyms that the drive companies give to
>their standard ST506 interfaces! If a drive is a SASI it IS a ST506.  Please

This IS WRONG the difference between SASI (SCSI) and ST506(ST412) is enough
to require a controller board which costs about $200.00. Various
manufactuers make these. Adaptec and Xebex (model 1410) come to mind.

>check out your facts before making generalized statements about winchester
>drives. I have been installing SASI and SCSI drives in the 7300 and 3B1 for
 
Likewise with you. SASI does not equal ST506!

>SASI stands for Sugart Associates Standard Interface  which the other 
>companies didnt like so they renamed it to SCSI which means Small Computer
>Standard Interface.

TRUE (more or less) the SCSI standard actually does more than SASI (SASI
is a subset).

>They are both the same and both ST506, which some other
>companies call ST412.

Not true, ST506(ST412) is the interface at the drive. SASI(SCSI) is
the interface at the controller.


-- 
  Roger Sanderson: {clyde|decvax|ihnp4}-\
                             {tektronix}-+--> watmath!watdcsu!rsanders
                     {ubc-vision|utzoo}-/

davidsen@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr) (05/20/87)

In article <856@kodak.UUCP| hill@kodak.UUCP (mark hilliard) writes:
|In article <1750@ihlpe.ATT.COM| psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Peter Fales) writes:
|| WRONG!!  Sorry to flame, but I would hate to see anyone go out and purchase
||a SCSI drive.  The 7300 uses ST506 drives like those used on the 6300 and
|
|WRONG again, the SASI and SCSI are acronyms that the drive companies give to
|their standard ST506 interfaces! If a drive is a SASI it IS a ST506.  Please
|check out your facts before making generalized statements about winchester
|drives. I have been installing SASI and SCSI drives in the 7300 and 3B1 for
|over a year now.
|
|
|SASI stands for Sugart Associates Standard Interface  which the other 
|companies didnt like so they renamed it to SCSI which means Small Computer
|Standard Interface.  They are both the same and both ST506, which some other
|companies call ST412.

Son-of-a-gun! Still another WRONG. ST506 and ST412 are NOT the same. A
412 drive will run on 506 but not the other way 'round. ST412 is the
interface in the AT and its brethern. The difference is that 506 requires
you to do stepping as "staep-wait-step-wait" while 412 uses "buffered
seeks" (their term, not mine) and will accept "seek-seek-seek-wait"
commands. I don't know of anyone who still makes ST506 drives, but that
doesn't mean they don't.

-- 
bill davidsen			sixhub \	ARPA: wedu@ge-crd.arpa
      ihnp4!seismo!rochester!steinmetz ->  crdos1!davidsen
				chinet /
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward"

sverre@fesk.UUCP (Sverre Froyen) (05/20/87)

in article <856@kodak.UUCP>, hill@kodak.UUCP (mark hilliard) says:
> WRONG again, the SASI and SCSI are acronyms that the drive companies give to
> their standard ST506 interfaces! If a drive is a SASI it IS a ST506.  Please
> check out your facts before making generalized statements about winchester
> drives. I have been installing SASI and SCSI drives in the 7300 and 3B1 for
> over a year now.

And I just spent $350 for an Emulex MD01 SCSI - ST506 converter. -:).

For the record: SCSI and ST506 are two separate, different interfaces,
bith in terms of hardware and in terms of software.
-- 
Sverre Froyen
UUCP:   boulder!fesk!sverre, sunpeaks!seri!fesk!sverre
ARPA:   froyen@nmfecc.arpa
BITNET: froyen@csugold.bitnet

andys@genesis.UUCP (a.b.sherman) (05/26/87)

In article <856@kodak.UUCP>, hill@kodak.UUCP writes:
> In article <1750@ihlpe.ATT.COM> psfales@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Peter Fales) writes:
> > WRONG!!  Sorry to flame, but I would hate to see anyone go out and purchase
> >a SCSI drive.  The 7300 uses ST506 drives like those used on the 6300 and
> 
> WRONG again, the SASI and SCSI are acronyms that the drive companies give to
> their standard ST506 interfaces! If a drive is a SASI it IS a ST506.  Please
> check out your facts before making generalized statements about winchester
> drives. I have been installing SASI and SCSI drives in the 7300 and 3B1 for
> over a year now.
> 
> 
> SASI stands for Sugart Associates Standard Interface  which the other 
> companies didnt like so they renamed it to SCSI which means Small Computer
> Standard Interface.  They are both the same and both ST506, which some other
> companies call ST412.


It is true that SCSI and SASI are virtually the same thing.  Notice
I say virtually.  Since SCSI is a later spec, it has some more bells
and whistles and higher performance than SASI.  Neither of these
beasts is the same as ST506.  In order to run an ST506 drive from a
SASI or SCSI host adapter, you need a bridge controller.  These are
usually in the same form factor as a 5.24" drive and attached directly
to the drive chassis.  This makes the bridge controller seem
transparent to the user, but its price is not.  The UNIX-PC most
emphatically does NOT repeat NOT have a SCSI host adapter in it. 
Rumors to the effect that a SCSI controller would be coming out for
the UNIX-PC stirred a lot of excitement for the 24 hours it took to
kill them.
-- 
andy sherman / at&t bell laboratories (medical diagnostic systems)
room 2h-097 / 480 red hill road / middletown, nj 07748
(201) 615-5708 / andys@shlepper.ATT.COM
...The views and opinions are my own.  Who else would want them?