[comp.sys.sun] SCSI Interface in the 3/80

gfr@cobra.mitre.org (Glenn Roberts) (05/20/89)

> Does anyone know whether the SCSI interface on the 3/80 is compatible with
> the one on the 3/50 and 3/60?

Our sales rep says there's a converter available.  Supposedly these are
electrically compatible but the connectors on the new systems are smaller
(I haven't seen one yet).

- Glenn Roberts, The MITRE Corp., McLean VA (703) 883-6820
  gfr@cobra.mitre.org

ekrell@ulysses.att.com (Eduardo Krell) (05/26/89)

>Supposedly these are
>electrically compatible but the connectors on the new systems are smaller
>(I haven't seen one yet).

Indeed. The new desktops (4/60, 3/80) have a 50 pin miniature connector
instead of the DB50 on the old Suns (2 rows instead of 3 rows of pins).
-- 

Eduardo Krell                   AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ

UUCP: {att,decvax,ucbvax}!ulysses!ekrell  Internet: ekrell@ulysses.att.com

gfr@cobra.mitre.org (Glenn Roberts) (05/27/89)

More information on hooking up an "old" SCSI shoebox to a "new" Sun
(smaller SCSI connector):  I am told that Sun part #530-1435 is a cable
which has an "old" (big) SCSI connector on the disk end and a "new"
(small) SCSI connector on the computer end.  Presumably this part is
available from Sun Spares - call your Sun rep for further information.

  Glenn Roberts, The MITRE Corp., McLean VA (703) 883-6820
  gfr@cobra.mitre.org

haerle@rutgers.edu (Mark Haerle) (06/16/89)

The local sales rep indicated SCSI-1 and SCSI-2 devices may not be mixed
in a Sparc Station-1. The internal hard disks and the external storage
packs are not compatable with the old shoe boxes. You may run one standard
or the other, but not both on the same SCSI interface. The SCSI-2 has a
faster transfer and may also have a different command set.

hjp@uunet.uu.net (Howard J. Postley) (06/22/89)

In article <3915@kalliope.rice.edu>, ely!haerle@rutgers.edu (Mark Haerle) 
writes:
> The local sales rep indicated SCSI-1 and SCSI-2 devices may not be mixed
> in a Sparc Station-1. The internal hard disks and the external storage
> packs are not compatable with the old shoe boxes. You may run one standard
> or the other, but not both on the same SCSI interface. The SCSI-2 has a
> faster transfer and may also have a different command set.

I wish that Sun had not decided to call things SCSI-1 and SCSI-2 because
SCSI-2 is the newer SCSI definition that can deal with faster transfers
and wider data paths.  That's not what Sun uses them to mean.  But I
digress before actually getting started what what I wanted to say.

The difference between Sun's SCSI-1 and SCSI-2 is that -2 supports
syncronous transfers.  The drives which support sync-SCSI contain a
superset of the async-SCSI command set.  There is no SCSI reason that the
drives can't be mixed, I have done that many times.  In fact, the 3.5"
quantum drives, which are internal to the SS 1 are not sync-SCSI but the
327 is.  If you hook a sync-capable drive to an async only interface, it
just speaks slowly - but it still works fine.

Anyway, I have setup SS 1's with both internal disks and an old shoebox so
I know it works.  I don't know what your sales rep was refering to.

//hjp


-- 
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Ideal Point, Inc.     uucpnet: uunet!bambam!hjp
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thp@uunet.uu.net (Timothy H Panton.) (06/28/89)

>SCSI-1 and SCSI-2 devices may not be mixed
>in a Sparc Station-1. The internal hard disks and the external storage
>packs are not compatable with the old shoe boxes.

That's not my experience, I had a Sparc Station-1 on loan the other day.
It had 100Mb internal drive, a 3.5" floppy, and a shoe box with a 300Mb
disk and a 60Mb tape. All worked fine.

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|Tim Panton, Westhawk Ltd.                                                   |
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