bdm@ciprico.mn.org (Bill D. Moren) (09/18/87)
RIMFIRE 3200/3400 SUN BOOT KIT Ciprico's Rimfire 3200/3400 Sun Boot Kit allows users of Sun Workstations to boot their systems directly from any SMD or ESDI type disk drive using a Ciprico disk controller. The Kit provides all the hardware, software, and documentation necessary to add boot capability to systems using Rimfire VMEbus disk controllers. * Allows Booting Sun * Kit Includes Boot PROM, Systems Directly from Installation Tape, and Ciprico Disk Controllers Documentation * Compatible With SUN 3/110, * All Necessary Boot and 3/160, 3/180, 3/260, and Utility Programs Included 3/280 Systems * Compatible With Any ESDI * Can Be Installed on Systems or SMD Type Disk Drives Already Using a Rimfire Controller The Kit was developed expressly for Ciprico by Sun Microsystems. Compatible with most Series 3 Sun systems, it provides users with maximum flexibility when integrating their disk subsystems. For the greatest performance, any high speed SMD type disk drive controlled by a Rimfire 3200 board will provide a significant improvement in performance over comparable offerings from Sun, at a substantial cost savings. Superior performance is the result of advanced data management techniques which are integral parts of the Rimfire controllers. Cross-track lookahead caching is an example of one of these techniques. This technique pre-reads disk data into the board's internal cache memory, anticipating sequential access of the disk by the operating system. Subsequent requests are then satisfied directly from controller memory, eliminating mechanical disk access latencies. Other advanced techniques including command queuing, overlapped seeks, seek sorting, and command combining also contribute to performance improvements. For cost sensitive applications, a Rimfire 3400 disk controller and cost effective ESDI disk drive provide excellent performance while minimizing the cost per megabyte for disk expansion. Software compatible with the Rimfire 3200 controller, converting from ESDI to SMD type disks does not require software changes. Rimfire controllers are easily integrated into Sun Workstations using triple high VME-to-VME adapter cards. These adapters are available from Sun Microsystems and other third party vendors, including versions with appropriate cabling from the front panel to the controller and to the disk drives. For more information on these adapters contact Ciprico. The Sun Boot Kit includes the Rimfire 3200/3400 driver (including documentation) for the BSD 4.2 version of the UNIX operating system. The driver is also available separately in source code form for those applications requiring modifications to the standard driver. The Sun Boot Kit is available through authorized Ciprico distributors. The Kit is priced at $175. To find the nearest authorized distributor, or to get more information on the Kit or any of Ciprico's VMEbus, Multibus I, or Multibus II mass storage controllers, contact Bill Moren at Ciprico: Ciprico Inc. 2955 Xenium Lane Plymouth, MN 55441 (612) 559-2034 or at: bdm@ciprico.mn.org