) (02/05/88)
Here's what should be an easy hardware question. Our current configuration is a VAX 8530 with the single (original non-cluster type) cabinet. It has a single BI bus with five available slots within the CPU cabinet. We have a unibus adapter (2 slots), a KDB50 disk controller (2 slots) and an ethernet controller (1 slot). There are four disks on the disk controller now and we want to add more (also future expansion possibly would include an "array processor"). The basic deel is "we need more BI slots". This involves purchasing a 8000 series expansion cabinet ($5K) and a BI expansion box ($6K). Our local Digital office delivered a quote which also included a second $15K BI channel. When I called and said "uh, no thanks", the sales rep told me she had checked with the sales technical number and that it was absolutely necessary to have the second channel to get more BI slots. I have called the digital pre-sales number and they will not help me, saying that only the local office understands my configuration. In the meantime, my salesrep also asked field service and they also agreed that I need another channel. I know she is not trying to hose me over, but I just can't believe we need another channel to extend the bus beyond a lousy 5 slots. I mean, don't 8200's have about 18 BI slots in the cabinet? A valid technical reason for the second channel escapes me; it just seems like total overkill. I have extended a UNIBUS halfway across a room just by pulling out the terminator and plugging in a unibus cable. Why would they design something that couldn't be expanded in this way? And if this one can't make it out of the cabinet, why can the second?? If this is the only way, then I think even we with our awesome discount can not afford to expand. Any ideas? -Tom O'Toole Interactive Graphics Facility Johns Hopkins Medical School Balto. Md. 21205 asidonhopo@jhuigf.bitnet Have you got a 27/B-6? I'm a bit of a stickler for paperwork... I mean... where would we be if we didn't stick to the proper procedures...