[comp.newprod] High Performance SCSI Host Bus Adapter for the VMEbus

bdm@ciprico.mn.org (Bill D. Moren) (09/18/87)

   RIMFIRE 3500 VMEbus SCSI HOST BUS ADAPTER WITH FLOPPY PORT

     The Rimfire 3500 VMEbus SCSI bus adapter from Ciprico Inc. 
was designed to be the highest performance and most cost effective 
adapter available.  It accomplishes this goal with a software 
interface derived from Ciprico's high performance VMEbus disk 
controllers and an extremely fast though elegantly simple 
hardware architecture.

     * Command Queuing             * 30 Mbyte/sec. VMEbus
       Software Interface            Transfer Rate

     * Pass Through SCSI           * 4.0 Mbyte/sec. Synchronous,
       Commands                      1.5 Mbyte/sec. Asynchronous
                                     SCSI Transfer Rates
     * Complete UNIX Device
       Drivers Available           * Single-ended or Differential
                                     SCSI Bus Transceivers
     * Floppy Port


     Providing complete control over SCSI bus operations, a 
software interface using pass through commands allows the system 
to select which commands are sent to the peripheral controllers.  
Rimfire 3500 parameter blocks have a SCSI command descriptor 
block embedded in them. The board will issue the command 
descriptor block directly to the SCSI bus upon reading it from 
system memory.  This allows the use of any mandatory, optional, 
and vendor unique SCSI commands as well as commands defined in 
the Common Command Set (CCS) specification.

     A large circular command queue, designed for system 
software, links the operating system to the Rimfire 3500 adapter.  
The queue, with a command capacity exceeding practical limits, 
receives requests from the operating system driver as soon as 
they are ready, with no timing restrictions.  With access to all 
pending SCSI requests, the Rimfire 3500 board can take advantage 
of the disconnect/reconnect capability of the SCSI bus and issue 
overlapped commands for different devices.

     With a transfer rate capability of 30 Megabytes/second, 
Ciprico's proprietary Short Burst FIFO gate array and VMEbus 
interface combination increase bus efficiency.  By moving data 
across the bus at a rate limited by the capability of most memory 
boards, the Rimfire 3500 adapter uses only a small fraction of 
the available bus bandwidth for data transfers.

     Optional support for up to 4 single, dual, or quad density 
floppy drives provides users with an economical method of 
providing floppy capability in their system.  By buffering all 
floppy data in on-board local memory, SCSI performance is never 
degraded during floppy activity.  Supporting IBM PC XT/AT 
compatible drives, floppies continue to prove valuable as a 
method of loading software patches and updates, running 
diagnostics, transporting files, and even as a modest backup 
alternative.

     A 4.0 Megabyte/second synchronous SCSI bus transfer rate 
capability, as well as a 1.5 Megabyte/second asynchronous rate 
capability, eliminates the possibility of any transfer rate 
bottlenecks.  With data rates of SCSI bus peripherals continually 
increasing, the Rimfire 3500 adapter has the ability to meet 
future needs.

     With single-ended or differential bus transceivers, system 
to peripheral interconnection  choices are made by the systems 
designer, not the board supplier.  Even if today's needs are met 
with everything in a single enclosure, where single-ended 
transceivers fit the need, tomorrows expansion may mean an 
external cabinet.  The Rimfire 3500 adapter was designed with 
this in mind, providing differential capability as a standard 
option.

     The Rimfire 3500 SCSI host bus adapter is available today 
with a list price of $1395 for a single-ended transceiver and 
floppy version of the board.  For more information on the Rimfire 
3500 adapter, or any of Ciprico's VMEbus, Multibus I, or Multibus 
II compatible mass storage controllers, contact Bill Moren at 
Ciprico: 

                          Ciprico Inc.
                        2955 Xenium Lane
                       Plymouth, MN  55441
                         (612)  559-2034

                             or at:

                        rs

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