[comp.unix.i386] Future Domain SCSI help for ix

lubkin@cs.rochester.edu (Saul Lubkin) (08/24/90)

Help!  I'm having trouble installing Interactive Unix 2.0.2 OR 2.2 on
a 386AT.  The only hard disk is a Wren CDC 5 170 meg formatted drive
on a Future Domain SCSI TMC-870 hard disk controller.

As best as I can understand the installation manual, this controller is,
I believe, supported.  In fact, during installation, a mesage appears
indicating a copywrite for the "386/ix SCSI driver by Future Domain", for
the 8x0 controller (or something like that), during a 2.0.2 attempted
installation.

But, as soon as the install program tries to check for an existing 386/ix
partition (pretty near the beginning of the install), it produces an
"SCSI error".  Something about restarting dcb_drivint at position 0 or
some such thing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated -- either email or posted to this
group, which I read regularly.  (If there's enough interest by others, I'll
summarize).


						Thank you,

						Saul Lubkin

reimann@uniol.UUCP (Ulf Reimann) (08/26/90)

lubkin@cs.rochester.edu (Saul Lubkin) writes:

>Help!  I'm having trouble installing Interactive Unix 2.0.2 OR 2.2 on
>a 386AT.  The only hard disk is a Wren CDC 5 170 meg formatted drive
>on a Future Domain SCSI TMC-870 hard disk controller.

I have given up trying to use the TMC-870.

My understanding of why it won't work with Interactive UNIX is:

It is compatible with the TMC-830, 850, 860 and 880 which are supported by
Interactive UNIX, however it differs in the fact that it can choose its
IRQ-line dynamically depending on the other devices installed in your computer.

It determines which of the IRQ's 5 or 7 is not yet occupied and then chooses
one of them. I think this choice is made by the BIOS. Maybe the scsi driver
resets the controller so its notion of what IRQ to use gets lost and subsequent
interrupts from the controller wouldn't find their way to the driver's service
routine.
I tried several configurations to force it to either IRQ 5 or 7, but none of
them worked.

When I found out about this incompatibility, I talked to my dealer. He took
the controller back and I bought an Adaptec 1542B in exchange. This one works
much better (in compatibility and performance, too).

Hope that helps.

Ulf

cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (08/27/90)

In article <3272@uniol.UUCP> reimann@uniol.UUCP (Ulf Reimann) writes:
>lubkin@cs.rochester.edu (Saul Lubkin) writes:
>
>>Help!  I'm having trouble installing Interactive Unix 2.0.2 OR 2.2 on
>>a 386AT.  The only hard disk is a Wren CDC 5 170 meg formatted drive
>>on a Future Domain SCSI TMC-870 hard disk controller.
>
>I have given up trying to use the TMC-870.

I have used an 875 without any problems as a primary controller with
a Micropolis 340MB drive under ISC 2.2.  (although I could not get the
same hardware to work with an adaptec controller).

I have had a problem using a Wangtek 525MB SCSi tape on an 875 secondary
controller on another system, but I think that is due to problems with 
the wangtek (although one can never be sure).


-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.,
uunet!virtech!cpcahil                           46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160
                                                Sterling, VA 22170