mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) (08/09/89)
We have a MicroVAX II with an Emulexe QD32 controller and 2-Fujitsu M2361A drives (super eagles). I have heard some rumors that I would like to verify. First, there is apparently a hardware priority conflict between the Emulex board and other boards on the Q Bus that has caused some fatal bug checks to be generated by VMS. Second, I heard something about problems with this controller when VMS 5.x is installed. Any info on this? Also, Emulex has told me about an upgrade that may be purchased. However this means pulling the board and sending it back to the factory for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I've got beaucoups of users stranded without any disk capacity. Emulex said there are no alternatives. So help, have any of you found yourselves in this situation? What to do, what to do? Are there any reasonably priced replacements for the QD32? Other ideas welcomed. Thanks, Mike O'Donnell
bluntb@ingr.com (Bob Blunt x6849) (08/11/89)
In article <16814@ut-emx.UUCP>, mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) writes: > > We have a MicroVAX II with an Emulexe QD32 controller and 2-Fujitsu ... > > First, there is apparently a hardware priority conflict between the ... > problems with this controller when VMS 5.x is installed. Any info on ... > Also, Emulex has told me about an upgrade that may be purchased. However ... > help, have any of you found yourselves in this situation? What to do, what > to do? Are there any reasonably priced replacements for the QD32? ... > Thanks, Mike O'Donnell Mike, I've posted this, mostly because there may be some system managers that haven't had to deal with vendors in this manner before that this might help. First; Did you purchase directly from Emulex, or did you buy from another source? Second; Who did you contact at Emulex? I'd recommend (from both sides of vendor roulette) that you call the regular Emulex SUPPORT number listed in the techmanuals. If you get (or have gotten) the same substandard response, ask to speak to a manager immediately. If the analyst refuses, return a call to the same number, but ask for a manager of the group that handles your controller. If nothing else, you should demand (and receive) an explanation for the long delay. Explain your situation to the manager, and emphasize that you bought the controller in good faith that it would operate correctly (Operating system should make no difference here). You may have no legal ground to stand on (like here in Alabama, we have no automotive lemon law, for instance) in your state. Emulex does have some reputation to maintain. There should be some alternative to the month-long turn-around. The manager may give you that alternative. Stress the repu- tation thing. If you get no help with the support channels, try to go thru your salesperson (and put the same heat on them). They may have a way to get you an exchange or loaner. The only other alternative might to purchase a support contract with them. If you bought from someone besides Emulex, you may have another level of "reputation" to threaten (and they may have the corrected boards in THEIR stock). I had a similar problem with an Emulex QD-21 and a second ESDI drive (that required different parameters in NOVRAM), and spent three days on the phone with them (and my vendor) getting it right. Finally, I got somebody that recognized to problem, and the drive came right up, no problem. After two very long nights on the phone with the Emulex analyst. We had a different situation, in that the system disk was on the same controller, and thus had a little more hold on them (look, BUDDY, my system won't EVEN boot now...). In many ways, treat the situation like you have an automotive lemon; you'ld get irate with whomever it took to get it fixed at the least cost, wouldn't you? Bob Blunt -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Growing older, but not up" J. Buffett || Bob Blunt | M.S. IW1600 "My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck" || BLUNTB@INGR.COM | INTERSnail _______________________________________________________________________________
elgie@canisius.UUCP (Bill Elgie) (08/13/89)
In article <16814@ut-emx.UUCP>, mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) writes: > > We have a MicroVAX II with an Emulexe QD32 controller and 2-Fujitsu > M2361A drives (super eagles). I have heard some rumors that I would > like to verify. > First, there is apparently a hardware priority conflict between the > Emulex board and other boards on the Q Bus that has caused some > fatal bug checks to be generated by VMS. Second, I heard something about > problems with this controller when VMS 5.x is installed. Any info on > this? > I tried to reply by direct mail, since this was a topic last year and I was simply going to repeat my own experience. We used 2 QD32's in each of our 2 Microvax II's, each servicing a Fuji M2333K drive. When we upgraded to Ultrix 2.0 we saw a 40% drop in disk i/o through- put. After playing around for some time, we came to the conclusion that the prob- lem lay in the QD32's. This began a protracted and time-consuming 7-month effort to resolve the problem with Emulex and the dealer we had purchased the controllers from. Emulex denied the problem for a long time. Ultimately, I was told by a more high-level person (Jim Erickson, I believe) that there was some sort of tim- ing problem related to the relative slowness of the controller's MSCP emu- lation. After that, I was bounced back and forth between apx. 10 people at Emulex and the distributor, each promising that a "deal" on a trade-in was to be granted me momentarily but with no actual results. I finally realized that no one had any intention of actually doing anything. So I invoked our attorney and the "deal" was consummated 3 weeks later. I received full credit on the purchase price of the QD32's towards the cost of 4 Dilog DQ256's. The Dilog was recommended to me, as a properly function- ing alternative, by several of the Emulex people that I had talked to. greg pavlov (under borrowed account), fstrf, amherst, ny. tel: 716-834-0900