From owner-freebsd-hardware Sat Jan 18 00:35:20 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) id AAA01396 for hardware-outgoing; Sat, 18 Jan 1997 00:35:20 -0800 (PST) Received: from GndRsh.aac.dev.com (GndRsh.aac.dev.com [198.145.92.241]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) with ESMTP id AAA01358 for ; Sat, 18 Jan 1997 00:35:15 -0800 (PST) Received: (from rgrimes@localhost) by GndRsh.aac.dev.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) id AAA24720; Sat, 18 Jan 1997 00:34:39 -0800 (PST) From: "Rodney W. Grimes" Message-Id: <199701180834.AAA24720@GndRsh.aac.dev.com> Subject: Re: ASUS T2P4 and Adaptec 2940AU In-Reply-To: from Mark Mayo at "Jan 16, 97 03:11:35 pm" To: mark@quickweb.com (Mark Mayo) Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 00:34:39 -0800 (PST) Cc: ulf@Alameda.net, mike@sentex.net, fpollet@relay.perceval.net, freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL25 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-hardware@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk ... > I believe it's specifically the 2940UA -- not the 'A' -- that is the > culprit here. It's a lower grade version of the 2940/2940U . Get one > without the 'A' and the problems should go away... A lot of stores around > here are selling the 2940UA instead of the 2940U, often for the latter's > price. I know many people who've been ripped off with the 2940UA. Of > course lots of dealers just don't know the difference. Search the archives > for an explanation of the differenced between the two controllers (aside > from the boot utilities). It is not totally the ``dealers, distributors or OEM's'' fault here. Adaptec simply stopped production of the 2940U, and shipped 2940AU's using the exact same order part number, boxing, etc... and gave no notification to the channel! Nor did they cut the PRICE! I have a 10 pack OEM box labeled ``2940U'' with the same part number I have been ordering for 6 months that has 2940AU's in it, and the serial numbers match between the box and the boards. THIS IS AN ADAPTEC RIP OFF AND MISSREPRESENTATION, and if it was not so painful and expensive to file lawsuits I'd have been all over them like a wet suite last week. The ``official'' distributors of Adaptec products (at least 3 of the big boys, Ingram, Tech Data, and Globbelle) can't even tell me if I will get 2940U's or 2940AU's if I order product. The OEM sells rep I talked with at Adaptec could NOT give me a different Adaptec order number for ordering 2940U's vs 2940AU's, but she assured me I should be able to get 2940U's. I had to go to the grey market to pick up an OEM 10 pack, and only ordered them after I made the guy open the box and read all the numbers off the card and chips to me. I could not find anyone in the ``official channel'' that could or would do this. I had my tech go dig through the web site and the only reference to the 2940AU he could find was in a new product called the Complete SCSI kit. The person I dealt with in Adaptec tech support said as far as they are concerned the 2940U doesn't even exist anymore, though someone here on the list has contridictory statements to that, and Adaptec sells contridicted it as well (though they confirmed only the 2940AU is being manufactured now). They only reasonable and economical action I can take at this time is to simply place adaptec on my black listed suppliers and use an alternate product. (Heck I sell NCR 53C810's 10:1 over Adaptecs 2940U anyway.) The shame is that the 2940U has some benifits, namely an outstanding FreeBSD driver, more complete device interoperbility, and Justin Gibbs who has been able to provide top notch FreeBSD support. *sigh* -- Rod Grimes rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com Accurate Automation, Inc. Reliable computers for FreeBSD