romwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) (03/11/88)
I think SCO's ESDI version is not quite right yet. I did my own installation of an SMS OMTI 8620 Controller on a Compaq 386 with 130 Mb disk and 2Mb RAM. This included setting the hardware jumpers on the controller. I am using Compaq's floppy controller, Consensys Tape Drive (Tandberg Siemens 60Mb), and Consensys PowerPorts 8 Port Controller. I am sure that none of the addon peripherals are the cause of the problem because the problem showed up at installation. The system periodically crashes when one of the peripherals is being heavily used. When extracting a tar archive from floppy, the system will report: memory failure - parity error omti: controller already in select state once it reported this: omti: timed out omti: unloading all requests omti: non-omti interrupt (C0) I got burned for the first time from SCO on this one because I waited beyond my 30 days to report the error and got no support. The problem has only occurred during use of the floppy or tape drive and it does not occur every time. Has anyone run into this problem before? Is there a hardware conflict? Has SCO blown their ESDI drivers? One other problem. Suddenly the system will not offer a prompt when logging in on the console. It initiallizes everything runs the motd and then waits. A few keystrokes bring up the prompt, but something is broken. Mark T. Dornfeld Royal Ontario Museum 100 Queens Park Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 2C6 mark@utgpu!rom - or - romwa@utgpu
las@msudoc.ee.mich-state.edu (Larry A. Sheilds {runs Lunapark}) (03/12/88)
I just got a Compaq20/130 and am also haing some mysterious problems. It refuses to copy files from DOS diskettes, or it it does it hangs and the end truncating the file. XENIX tar files are ok. Also my Everex tape drive won't work. Works under DOS but XENIX can't open it and sometimes tries to read from the floppy drives even though rct0 is referenced. I ran mkdev tape, set pararmeters and relinked the kernal. Anyone with similar problems? Any possible solutions? --------------------------- LARRY SHIELDS UUCP: ...!ihnp4!msudoc!lunapark!larry P.O. Box 6159 BIX: lshields E. Lansing, MI 48826 Compuserve: 70277, 3677 BBS: lunapark 1200/2400 8-1-N 24hrs 7 days a week (517) 337-3844 login: bbs
davidsen@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr) (03/15/88)
In article <1988Mar10.163610.27000@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> romwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) writes: | I think SCO's ESDI version is not quite right yet. I did my | own installation of an SMS OMTI 8620 Controller on a Compaq | [...] | | The system periodically crashes when one of the peripherals is | being heavily used. When extracting a tar archive from | floppy, the system will report: | | memory failure - parity error | omti: controller already in select state | Sure sounds familiar! I have seen this on a number of machines now, and it was caused by trying to run 16 bit memory. When you get the hard disk (1 DMA channel) and the floppy or tape (or serial ports??) and the CPU in 32 bit mode all beating the 16 bit memory, it doesn't have time to refresh. BANG! parity error. If you have all 32 bit memory then this is a new one, but if you have 16 bit memory, pull it out and try again. At least in three cases this was one that really was software. Please post the results one way or the other. Good luck. -- bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) {uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me
romwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) (03/16/88)
In article <1988Mar10.163610.27000@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> romwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) writes: | I think SCO's ESDI version is not quite right yet. I did my | own installation of an SMS OMTI 8620 Controller on a Compaq | [...] | | The system periodically crashes when one of the peripherals is | being heavily used. When extracting a tar archive from | floppy, the system will report: | | memory failure - parity error | omti: controller already in select state | >>Sure sounds familiar! I have seen this on a number of machines now, >>and it was caused by trying to run 16 bit memory. When you get the hard >>disk (1 DMA channel) and the floppy or tape (or serial ports??) and the >>CPU in 32 bit mode all beating the 16 bit memory, it doesn't have time >>to refresh. BANG! parity error. >> >>If you have all 32 bit memory then this is a new one, but if you have >>16 bit memory, pull it out and try again. At least in three cases this >>was one that really was software. This box has all 32bit memory. Since I posted I have replaced the memory, the controller, did a low level disk format, reinstalled (flawlessly), then BOOM!. Down she went when I tried to install the drivers for an eight port board (Consensys). I think this particular Compaq was made on a Monday. I've just about given up and will ship the system back and replace it with a 16Mhz Intel system configured by Consensys with ESDI support (faster code than SCO's). I am heartened to see I'm not the only one with these problems. I've heard lots of war stories about Compaq memory boards. Can they be growing just a little too fast? Their next machine will say it all. I've heard they are trying to license the Microchannel bus. Why doesn't some company (besides TI) harness the 386 to a Nu-bus and market the hell out of it. That should create a wonderful open standard and do justice to the open standards efforts going on. Ah, well, this will not get this machine going tomorrow now, will it? Mark T. Dornfeld Royal Ontario Museum 100 Queens Park Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 2C6 mark@utgpu!rom - or - romwa@utgpu
rob@dhw68k.cts.com (Robert Kenyon) (03/19/88)
I had some real problems putting an OMTI 8620 and a CDC WREN III
drive in a Wyse 386. Sometimes it would boot and sometimes it would hang.
SCO suggested jumpering W20. The manual indicates it as reserved and
OMTI says that its only there for another version of the prom. Since I
put it on though, I haven't had problems since. I wish I knew why. Any
guesses?
If you have any strange devices, tape drives I/O boards... Check
your addresses and interrupts. It appears that some things are not
mentioned. Until I sat down and was careful (Deciphered the Cipher tape
manual. Here's the trick. The address switches are upside down and
bit 1 is dropped. If you look at the manual you will understand.) I
couldn't get it to boot. The driver would load but the drive would hang.
And all I did was use interrupt 2. I thought it would be safer than 5
(com2).
Any suggestions?
rob
p
--
I once was here but now I'm not. And no one's gonna pin it on me...
Robert Kenyon - {trwrb,hplabs}!felix!dhw68k!rob - InterNet: rob@dhw68k.cts.comromwa@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Mark Dornfeld) (03/23/88)
>I had some real problems putting an OMTI 8620 and a CDC WREN III >drive in a Wyse 386. Sometimes it would boot and sometimes it would hang. >SCO suggested jumpering W20. The manual indicates it as reserved and >OMTI says that its only there for another version of the prom. Since I All the documentation that I have indicates that 20 should be jumpered to show the controller that there is an ESDI drive present. This is what the WREN III is, isn't it? I just installed the same disk and 20 is jumpered. Mark T. Dornfeld Royal Ontario Museum 100 Queens Park Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 2C6 mark@utgpu!rom - or - romwa@utgpu