[comp.os.os9] Ethernet Support Package .. hardware incompatabilities!

manning@mmm.UUCP (Arthur T. Manning) (02/04/89)

I finally got Mizar's 8210 RAM board to at least allow the system to boot
with Os9 2.2 after replacing the rb7400 module.  Now the system starts
getting CRC  errors (232) when  I start using the extra memory!  This does
not happen when the ethernet software is not running, so I  would  suspect
it has some problem   with  the 8210.

Mizar's answer: "we  don't support the ethernet software"

Solution: don't buy Mizar if you intend to use ethernet - (Os9 Unibridge)

-- 
Arthur T. Manning                                Phone: 612-733-4401
3M Center  518-1                                 FAX:   612-736-3122
St. Paul  MN  55144-1000   U.S.A.                Email: manning@mmm.uucp

kim@mcrware.UUCP (Kim Kempf) (02/06/89)

In article <1233@mmm.UUCP> manning@mmm.UUCP (Arthur T. Manning) writes:
>I finally got Mizar's 8210 RAM board to at least allow the system to boot
>with Os9 2.2 after replacing the rb7400 module.  Now the system starts
>getting CRC  errors (232) when  I start using the extra memory!  This does
>not happen when the ethernet software is not running, so I  would  suspect
>it has some problem   with  the 8210.
>
There are a number of likely causes of this problem:

	- Multiple boards responding to the same address.  The *entire* address
	range of the memory the new board is providing must not overlap anything
	else.  Otherwise just this sort of problem will occur as both the RAM
	and something respond causing sporadic operation and random data values.

	- One should get from the mfgr. of the hardware the local and VMEbus
	maps of the hardware supplied so valid spare address ranges can be
	identified.

	- Custom user-written drivers are always suspect.

Microware has tested this exact configuration in house and we have a number
of other customers who have no problems with Unibridge on off the shelf
Mizar configurations.

manning@mmm.UUCP (Arthur T. Manning) (02/06/89)

In article  <948@mcrware.UUCP> kim@mcrware.UUCP (Kim Kempf) writes:
>In article <1233@mmm.UUCP> manning@mmm.UUCP (Arthur T. Manning) writes:
>>I finally got Mizar's 8210 RAM board to at least allow the system to boot
>>with Os9 2.2 after replacing the rb7400 module.  Now the system starts
>>getting CRC  errors (232) when  I start using the extra memory!  This does
>>not happen when the ethernet software is not running, so I  would  suspect
>>it has some problem   with  the 8210.
>>
>There are a number of likely causes of this problem:
>
>	- Multiple boards responding to the same address.  The *entire* address
I would expect something like this to happen all the time; not just when
trying to run Unibridge.  

>	- Custom user-written drivers are always suspect.
Do the Ethernet support package ftp and telnet daemons also qualify as suspect
custom drivers?  As of now, I certainly don't trust them since they don't
have a long track record.

>
>Microware has tested this exact configuration in house and we have a number
>of other customers who have no problems with Unibridge on off the shelf
>Mizar configurations.
I doubt that.  How do I know that I have the same combination of modules in 
my system?  The rb7400 module had to be updated from ident 4 to ident 11, even
though my system was supposed to have been version "2.2".  

In any case, since Mizar is not supporting Unibridge, I wouldn't 
recommend using their hardware if there was the remote possibility that
I might want Unibridge in the future.  
-- 
Arthur T. Manning                                Phone: 612-733-4401
3M Center  518-1                                 FAX:   612-736-3122
St. Paul  MN  55144-1000   U.S.A.                Email: manning@mmm.uucp