Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 01:49:02 -0800 (PST) From: "Rodney W. Grimes" <rgrimes@GndRsh.aac.dev.com> To: jmb@freefall.freebsd.org (Jonathan M. Bresler) Cc: questions@freefall.freebsd.org, hardware@freefall.freebsd.org Subject: Re: [Q] aah-2940uw, disk need low level format Message-ID: <199701180949.BAA24837@GndRsh.aac.dev.com> In-Reply-To: <199701172147.NAA28594@freefall.freebsd.org> from "Jonathan M. Bresler" at "Jan 17, 97 01:47:51 pm"
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> i have a dell dimension xps p90 with an aha-1540cp, (plug-n-pray > disabled) seagate st32550n 2gb scsi disk. no other drives or scsi > devices attached. works fine. time to upgrade to a faster scsi > controller. > > installed an aha-2940uw. the machine hangs during boot immediately > after printing the disk information. > > called adaptec support. after changing a number of controller > parameters on the aha-2940uw, each followed by a reboot. adaptec > says "you have to low level format". they state that the geometry > used by the aha-1540cp is not compatible with the aha-2940uw because > the aha-1540cp runs the scsi bus at 5 MB/s async and the aha-2940uw > want to run the scsi bus at 10 MB/s sync. > > this is the first time that i have heard such a recommendation. > does this match anyone's experience? Absolute total bullshit!!! Low level formats should ONLY be done when a drive is reporting a MEDIA related failure and doing one at any other time can DESTROY a drive. Infact doing a low level format in anything other than a KNOW GOOD AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING system is asking to cause MORE problems than it will ever solve. Also Geometries and SCSI bus transfer speeds are totally unrelated, they tech at Adaptec is obviosly clueless. Also the 1540cp and the 2940UW BOTH support the same 2 standard adaptec translations (X/63/255 for >1G, and X/64/32 for <1G). Use pfdisk.exe to dump the partition table on your drive, then set the translation scheme to match. Did the tech have you change the ``Support >1G'' option? If not do that, then call Adaptec tech and tell them what idiots they really are, then send $10.00 to the FreeBSD project for it's support. If you already tried that, send me the output of the following after you put the 1540CP back in and get the system booted: fdisk sd0 disklabel sd0 -- Rod Grimes rgrimes@gndrsh.aac.dev.com Accurate Automation, Inc. Reliable computers for FreeBSD
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