From owner-freebsd-scsi Wed Jun 3 23:24:05 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id XAA07640 for freebsd-scsi-outgoing; Wed, 3 Jun 1998 23:24:05 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-scsi@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (castles348.castles.com [208.214.167.48]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id XAA07609 for ; Wed, 3 Jun 1998 23:24:02 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from mike@antipodes.cdrom.com) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by antipodes.cdrom.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id WAA00468 for ; Wed, 3 Jun 1998 22:19:46 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199806040519.WAA00468@antipodes.cdrom.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97 To: scsi@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Micropolis 4345WS (Toshiba "Equium" 6200M) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 22:19:45 -0700 From: Mike Smith Sender: owner-freebsd-scsi@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Chris Timmons wrote: > I received a couple of those Toshiba computers which Insight had the > special on (intel dual p6 mb, integrated pro100 ethernet, aha-7880, etc.) > The 12x atapi cd-room boots our freebsd CD's so quickly that you forget > that you're booting from a CD. Really nice systems, but mine came with > Micropolis 4345WS drives at firmware revision zC19. The manufacture date > of my systems was around 4/97. > > Unfortunately I couldn't get any version of FreeBSD to install without the > aha driver complaining about the drive timing out, and aborting the > install. No matter what the settings on the 7880 (disable wide > negotiation, throttle down xfer rate, etc) and after verifying drive > jumpers, termination. As soon as sysinstall started doing anything disk > intensive, the drives would lose it. I had both systems side by side with > a pile of FreeBSD CD's and each behaved the same whether it was 2.2.2, > 10/6/97 3.0-snap, 2/2/98 3.0-snap, etc. ... to which I followed up indicating that I had successfully installed and deployed several of these systems with no observed problems. To continue the story: tonight I was loading one of these systems heavily (stock 2.2.6, copying a CD full of data onto the disk) when the disk ceased to cooperate. Resuscitation of the system was a failure, and subsequent attempts at reinstalling now encounter the same problems that Chris described. I can hazard a guess that this has something to do with the drive's handling of forwarded blocks, but it'd be no more than that. Regardless, I would count this as a strong indication that if you are using one of these drives, or know someone who is, that you should consider the firmware upgrade as a matter of some urgency. (btw. where was that dang upgrade kit? I can't find the message with the URL in it now. 8) -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-scsi" in the body of the message