[comp.unix.aix] Third party SCSI cables for RS6000?

jpe@egr.duke.edu (John P. Eisenmenger) (11/06/90)

From article <13605@ogicse.ogi.edu>, by pturner@ese.ese.ogi.edu (Paul Turner):
> IBM wants $330 for one. Isn't that a little steep? Would anyone happen to
> know a source for cables?

You could try National Peripherals, Inc. at (708) 325-4151.  They sold me
a WREN VII, an Exabyte, an enclosure, and the proper cable to connect it
all to my 6000/320.  (The best part is that they shipped within 2 weeks
of receiving my purchase order (they only guarantee 30 days, though).  I
would bet they could get you the cable.

I wish I could elaborate on "what makes the cable special," but this is
my first SCSI machine.  For my setup the connector on the IBM end looks
like a small Centronics connector, while the device end looks like a
larger version of the same.

-John

ivan%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Ivan Maldonado) (11/10/90)

In article <1174@cameron.egr.duke.edu> jpe@egr.duke.edu (John P. Eisenmenger) writes:
> From article <13605@ogicse.ogi.edu>, by pturner@ese.ese.ogi.edu (Paul Turner):
> > IBM wants $330 for one. Isn't that a little steep? Would anyone happen to
> > know a source for cables?
:
> You could try National Peripherals, Inc. at (708) 325-4151.  They sold me
> a WREN VII, an Exabyte, an enclosure, and the proper cable to connect it
> all to my 6000/320.  (The best part is that they shipped within 2 weeks
> of receiving my purchase order (they only guarantee 30 days, though).  I
> would bet they could get you the cable.

We've been having the same problem.  From a posting more than
a month old I followed the suggestion from someone in Colorado State
who recommended CoComp as a SCSI supplier.  They had 5yr warranty HP
drives at a good price but *NO CABLE*.  The RS/6000 units Colorado
had came with the cable.  Ours did not.

As it turns out, this is an issue of proprietorship of IBM equipment,
and some independent vendors cannot sell it unless they are authorized
IBM product dealers or whatever.  

This cable, If I recall correctly was referred to as
a "Micro Centronix Cable", is not supposed to be anything really
special (what can people do to a stupid wire anyway ?) but I heard
of someone *burning* either the drive or the computer trying their
own replacement.  So be careful if you try to "improvise".

We're still looking. It is obvious that those who can sell a
cable-included drive will charge you more.  So it looks that
somehow you end up paying for the cable anyway, unless you have
a really good "handy-man" that can come up with a suitable
replacement without *burning* anything.

This is *ALL* I know.

Good luck !

-Ivan

--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Guillermo Ivan Maldonado        |  Internet: ivan%nepjt@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu |
| Dept. of Nuclear Engineering    |  BITNET  : maldonado@ncsune           |
| North Carolina State University |----------------------------------------
| NCSU Box # 7909                 |   ... que viva Quito !                |
| Raleigh. NC 27695-7909          |         ... que viva el ECUADOR !!    |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------