kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) (07/16/88)
Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle
hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ?
Is an upgrade to this version required to hande a drive this large ?
Any help or hints would be greatly appreciated.
--
Kevin Davies International Information Service (IIS)
UUCP: {uunet,utai,watmath}!dalcs!iisat!kevin
Bitnet/Uucp: kevin@iisat.uucp Arpanet: kevin%iisat.uucp@uunet.uu.netdavidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) (07/19/88)
In article <80@iisat.UUCP> kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) writes: | Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle | hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ? I know there's an ESDI version, we got one by mistake. Hope that helps. -- bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me
daveb@laidbak.UUCP (Dave Burton) (07/19/88)
In article <11560@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes: >In article <80@iisat.UUCP> kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) writes: >| Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle >| hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ? > > I know there's an ESDI version, we got one by mistake. Hope that helps. I talked with SCO recently about ESDI drives (for a Dell System 310 with a 90 Meg ESDI drive). SCO has two versions of Xenix for the 386 - one with a driver for "ST506 bus interface ESDI" and a special one for "OMTI bus interface ESDI". The O-M-T-I version costs $100 more than the stock version (ST506), or about $300 more if bought as an upgrade. Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with SCO.
jim@applix.UUCP (Jim Morton) (07/19/88)
In article <80@iisat.UUCP>, kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) writes: > Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle > hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ? I remember hearing that > 1024 cyclinders was a problem mainly because the SETUP memory location on AT's and compatibles couldn't handle a number larger than 1024. Since Xenix 2.2 allows you to overide the hard drive SETUP numbers, my guess would be that if you have a drive **that is >1024 cyclinders and formatted** that Xenix could handle it. I had a similar problem with Maxtor 1140 drives, which are 917 cylinders, but most AT's have only an entry for 900. I got around it by taking the drives to a new clone that had many more SETUP drive combinations, formatting the drive there, then taking it back to the AT, loading Xenix, and telling it to use the full 917 in "hdinit". -- Jim Morton, APPLiX Inc., Westboro, MA UUCP: ...harvard!m2c!applix!jim jim@applix.m2c.org
chip@vector.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal) (07/19/88)
In article <80@iisat.UUCP> kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) writes: >Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle >hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ? >Is an upgrade to this version required to hande a drive this large ? >Any help or hints would be greatly appreciated. I just spent a few weeks researching a 386 XENIX system with RLL drives. Some of what I found out (much of it thanks to you netfolk out there) is probably applicable to this. There are two approaches. First, you can run the OMTI8627 ESDI/RLL controller with a special version of XENIX. (I believe that there is a second ESDI/MFM controller.) This version, a.k.a. the "ESDI version", replaces the standard hard disk driver with one which talks to the 8627. There is about a $100 premium for this version. I strongly recommend against this approach. First, the 8627 is relatively expensive and slow. Second, it ain't made anymore. I'd be real concerned about if and how SCO will continue to support an obsolete piece of hardware like this. And if you want 2.3 and 3.0 -- which you should -- you need to be concerned about the upgrade path. The second approach is to get a controller which looks like a standard ST506 controller, but in fact talks to ESDI disks. In this case, you can run with the standard 386 XENIX release. My understanding is that the Western Digital WD1007 and Adaptec 2322 do this. The following information is quoted from SCO's 2.2.2 Release Notes (Apr 88): Many hard disks, both standard and nonstandard, can be used by the XENIX System V Operating System as long as the disk controller supports the drive. The disk must interface electrically with the disk controller (usually "ST506"). Controllers supporting other drive interfaces such as RLL or ESDI will work as long as the controller presents an ST506-compatible interface to the bus. The section goes on to say that either the motherboard ROM must contain an entry describing the disk (e.g. heads, cylinders, sectors, etc.), or you can use "dkinit" to define a non-standard set of parameters. So, you should be able to enter the information on a large disk even if there isn't a BIOS entry for it. It appears that if you can find a controller which looks like a WD1003 *and* it requires no funky support routines (e.g. strange .SYS files are required to use it with DOS), then it will work. -- Chip Rosenthal /// chip@vector.UUCP /// Dallas Semiconductor /// 214-450-0400 {uunet!warble,sun!texsun!rpp386,killer}!vector!chip I won't sing for politicians. Ain't singing for Spuds. This note's for you.
fred@cdin-1.uucp (Fred Rump) (07/19/88)
SCO has a special ESDI xenix system. Drives come in all sizes. we use the miniscribe 338MB. Big enough?
keith@uport.UUCP (Keith Hankin) (07/23/88)
I cannot speak for SCO Xenix, however my company, Microport Systems is coming out with a new version of our UNIX in September (Version 3.0) which supports RLL and ESDI controllers with ST506-type interfaces from several manufacturers such as Western Digital, Adaptec and DTC. We will also have support for drives with up to 2048 cylinders, although please note that some controllers (the WD 1002, in particular) only support up to 1024 cylinders. The WD 1003 does have 2048 cylinder support. -- Keith Hankin keith@uport Microport Systems
plocher@uport.UUCP (John Plocher) (07/24/88)
>I remember hearing that > 1024 cyclinders was a problem mainly >because the SETUP memory location on AT's and compatibles couldn't >handle a number larger than 1024. Since Xenix 2.2 allows you to The WD1002 WA2 controller is physically restricted to 1024 cyls. The WD1003 and newer ones are limited to 2048 :-) >I had a similar problem with Maxtor 1140 drives, which are 917 cylinders, But, the 1140 is *really* 1220 cyls, the label (and testing) is the only difference between it and the 2190. Try the same formatting trick for 1024 cyls (or 1220 if your controller can grok it) ... :-) I did this to 3 of them - they are still alive and kicking ! (Microport's V/386 2.2 and before have a hd driver that is limited to 1024 cyls; version 3.0 (shipping in Sept) handles up to 2048+RLL+ESDI) -John Plocher
davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) (07/26/88)
In article <1524@laidbak.UUCP> daveb@laidbak.UUCP (Dave Burton) writes: | In article <11560@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes: | >In article <80@iisat.UUCP> kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) writes: | >| Does anyone know whether or not SCO Xenix/386 2.2.2 can handle | >| hard drives that have more than 1024 cylinders (under ESDI) ? | > | > I know there's an ESDI version, we got one by mistake. Hope that helps. | | I talked with SCO recently about ESDI drives (for a Dell System 310 | with a 90 Meg ESDI drive). SCO has two versions of Xenix for the 386 - The standard SCO version will work on the Dell310, I tried it. Boy is that sucker FAST! You really want 4MB to run Xenix on it. -- bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me
chip@vector.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal) (07/26/88)
In article <7308@cdin-1.uucp> fred@cdin-1.uucp (Fred Rump) writes: >SCO has a special ESDI xenix system. Drives come in all sizes. we use the >miniscribe 338MB. Big enough? Again...the ESDI version only supports a specific disk controller which is no longer in production. One is well advised to find an ESDI disk controller with an ST506 interface (is that the right number?) and run standard XENIX. -- Chip Rosenthal /// chip@vector.UUCP /// Dallas Semiconductor /// 214-450-0400 {uunet!warble,sun!texsun!rpp386,killer}!vector!chip I won't sing for politicians. Ain't singing for Spuds. This note's for you.
kevin@iisat.UUCP (Kevin Davies) (08/04/88)
My thanks to all those who responded, both via the net and
e-mail, to my query on large drives.
The information everyone gave was extremely helpful.
Thanks again.
--
Kevin Davies International Information Service (IIS)
UUCP: {uunet,utai,watmath}!dalcs!iisat!kevin
Bitnet/Uucp: kevin@iisat.uucp Arpanet: kevin%iisat.uucp@uunet.uu.net