[comp.unix.sysv386] <155@efreet.UUCP>

neese@adaptx1.UUCP (11/03/90)

>/* ---------- "SCO Open Desktop with both ESDI and" ---------- */
>I am going to upgrade my 386 SCO Open Desktop system and would like to know
>a few things before I do so.  Any opinions would be appreciated.
>
>I am currently using a 150MB drive with a WD1007 ESDI controller w/floppy.
>
>1) How easy is it to add a SCSI (Adaptec 1542B) and drive along with the 
>current ESDI controller.  I think that the ESDI will have to be the primary
>drive.  Anybody see any problems with this?

Piece of cake;  The ESDI drive will have to remain as the boot device.  You
will need to disable the floppy controller on the 1542B.  Jumpers exist
for that.  Just add it like you would any disk drive.  SCO will ask the
right questions.

>2) Has anybody had any experience getting the Sysquest SQ55 SCSI drive to
>work with an Adaptec 1542B and SCO ODT?  I am trying to decide between
>a fixed disk like a 340MB SCSI Micropolis or a 44MB removable like the
>SQ55.  Any reliability problems with the SQ55?

I don't believe ODT will support the SyQuest drive. At least it may not
spin it up, lock it, spin it down and unlock it.  If the media has already
spun up, it might work.

			Roy Neese
			Adaptec Senior SCSI Applications Engineer
			UUCP @  uunet!utacfd!cs.utexas.edu!
				  {nominil,merch,cpe}!adaptex!neese
				uunet!mlite!adaptex!neese

@tree.uucp (Chris Gonnerman) (11/07/90)

In article <285600002@adaptx1>, neese@adaptx1.UUCP writes:
> >2) Has anybody had any experience getting the Sysquest SQ55 SCSI drive to
> >work with an Adaptec 1542B and SCO ODT?  I am trying to decide between
> >a fixed disk like a 340MB SCSI Micropolis or a 44MB removable like the
> >SQ55.  Any reliability problems with the SQ55?
> 
> I don't believe ODT will support the SyQuest drive. At least it may not
> spin it up, lock it, spin it down and unlock it.  If the media has already
> spun up, it might work.

Has anyone ever had *good* luck with a Syquest SQ55 disk drive?  We have
a lot of them where I work (40 or more) and they seem very prone to
failures, not to mention "flaky behavior."  For instance, I had one such
drive which (under MS-DOS) acted like the disk was under heavy access
when the OS was in fact quite idle.  I changed drive and controller
before I discovered it was the cartridge!  I have also seen full system
lockups (no interrupts so CTRL-ALT-DEL does not work) from trying to
copy a large (600K) file from one directory to another on a newly
formatted, nearly empty cartridge.  I rebooted, and tryed again.  Same
result.  Tryed again after powering down all components, same result.
Gave up and removed the drive.

In other words, in our experience the SQ55 has SERIOUS reliability
problems.  Enough that the next removeable drives we buy will be
Bernoulli... they aren't perfect, but they seem to break in a
predictable fashion.

-- 
 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 | Chris Gonnerman (Mad Programmer At Large)   csusac.ecs.csus.edu!tree!jcg   |
 | @ the Tree BBS, Sacramento, CA              ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!tree!jcg |
 +----------  DISCLAIMER: These opinions are mine... MINE, I say!  -----------+