caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg) (10/16/89)
I recently upgraded my SCO Unix system to a 33 mHz Micronics motherboard. So far there have been some casualties with respect to add-in boards. An AST 4-port XN would not work under either DOS or Unix. I've replaced it with a Stargate 8-port dumb board, so there's no great loss here. When switching from the Intel mother board to the Micronics, I couldn't get anything to boot with a WD8003E Ethernet card plugged in. I haven't pursued this exhaustively yet. The most annoying problem is an Everex 60 MB cartridge tape with the long interface board. This unit makes data errors under both DOS and Unix when the Micronics is operated full speed. Everex diagnostics pass but a image backup/compare yields bad data. I have discovered that booting DOS, then running "setspeed AT8", and then running FLPBOOT allows me to boot Unix without a cold or warm boot. (A cold/warm boot restores full speed 33 mHz+cache operation.) I then turn on the "TURBO" switch. Unix seems able to write/read the Everex tape without errors. Leaving the "setspeed AT8" out of this procedure results in bad data written to and read from the tape. I'd like to hear what types of boards do and don't work properly at higher speeds. The I/O bus on the Micronics is supposed to be 8 mHz (slow speed setting), but at least in this respect Micronics' Hertz's are quicker than IBM's (no problem with a 6mHz PC/AT hopped up to 9 mHz). P.S. Both Byte and PC Magazine tested a number of 33 mHz systems recently, and neither reported any such problems. I have heard that some 33 mHz motherboards have more control over I/O speed to allow boards such as TARGA to operate properly, but I found no mention of this in the magazine reviews. (But then I already knew how well magazines review things from how they did on communications programs!) Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf Author of YMODEM, ZMODEM, Professional-YAM, ZCOMM, and DSZ Omen Technology Inc "The High Reliability Software" 17505-V NW Sauvie IS RD Portland OR 97231 503-621-3406 TeleGodzilla:621-3746 FAX:621-3735 CIS:70007,2304 Genie:CAF