root@fossrv.UUCP (Super user) (03/12/91)
UltraStore Disk Controllers.
I have upgraded through three levels of Ultrastore ESDI controllers for
use under Xenix. Here are some notes along the rocky road, that has pot
holes at the end...
1) Ultrastore 12F controller.
Straight AT ESDI controller. Has 2 floppy & 2 ESDI drive support.
Supports third drive or floppy tape. It is functionally equivalent
to a WD-1007, but performs writes at a very nice rate of speed.
You need to add the 32k byte track buffer option for Xenix-386.
2) UltraStore 12C controller.
Same features, but adds cache memory, up to 4 or 16 Megs depending
on Simm memory modules used. They say any Simms will work, not true
had to duplicate the brand on the board or got disk errors, and would
TRASH my Xenix-386 partition. Need at least to Two Megs to work well.
3) UltraStore 22C controller.
This is the controller I wanted all along. (I thought. Wrong!) This
was going in an AST 486-25 Tower Eisa machine for Xenix. Thus this
controller is an EISA card. Assured by sales folks would support Xenix.
Was not available so I stepped through the previous two cards (You
don't have to re-format the drives to change hard disks.)
Finally got card. Note that drivers for Xenix not included. Sco &
Interactive, Intel, Unix V, Novell Netware, others, but no Xenix-386.
Also find need expansion memory card. Try to find same. Finally order
from UltraStore direct. Memory chips cost $ 20-25 a piece, 6 to 24.
Sigh. Told by tech support Xenix-386 is a dead operating system and
will not have drivers. Same thing by Staff and Mangeagement. (Funny
my customers by Xenix-386 and not SCO Unix yet. They want tested
(stable?) platform and complain SCO Unix 386 reports show it dies yet..
4) What now?
Any suggestions? Guess could upgrade machine for SCO UNIX. (There goes
$2500 for software, $1000 dollars for more memory). Any of you folks
still using xenix-386?
Thanks,
Steven Foster.
805 943-3832