Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 15:33:10 -0700 From: Blaine Minazzi <bminazzi@w3page.com> To: isp@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Newsserver running NCR815 cards Message-ID: <329A1EA6.2EA07EF4@w3page.com> References: <199611251931.NAA15349@brasil.moneng.mei.com>
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Joe Greco wrote: > > > > 6: Spending a couple extra bucks for better drives will fix problem and > > > also get you tagged queueing if you usr NCR controllers. Better fix. > > > > My drives are fast and reliable - They dont work with NCR under FreeBSD. > > But the question is WHY? > > > The drives are 3 GB DEC Drives (aka Micropolis OEM), so I would rather buy > > AHA2940s than tossing out 12 of these drives :):) > > Well, sure, but it would be nice to see if there isn't something that could > be done to fix the problem. But first it needs to be determined.. Thats true... Have to determine where the problem is. Until then, many of us have to use an Adaptec, or some other card. > If it is buggy drive firmware, that would bother me, and I would suspect > I was getting less out of the drives than I might be. In which case, I > would be hammering on DEC/Micropolis's door for a firmware fix. Yes. You go to DEC, Micropolis, HP, etc... and tell them their firmware is buggy, because it does not work under FreeBSD's NCR Driver.... They _might_ listen, but methinks you will get nothing but a buch of runaround and finger pointing at the "Free" O/S... or the Driver. > If it is a buggy NCR driver, that would also bother me, and probably also > the author of the driver. :-) Maybe... There have been a number of complaints about this with various drives. Maybe they do all have buggy firmware. Quite possible... Then again, My HP drives work GREAT under Linux and their NCR Driver. So, maybe someone should lookit the code. If it is the drive, perhaps an "option" to workaround the buggy firmware would be in order, rather than just fail. > If it is buggy drive firmware that can not get fixed, that is the worst > situation, because then you may be stuck with 12 less than optimal drives, > but maybe FreeBSD can be made to work (with reduced efficiency) even so. > So, rather than wonder, how does one actually TEST this? I cannot test it with the NCR Driver, as the drive is not recognised other than at boot up. I cannot create partitions, make labels, etc. much less create a filesystem. They work perfectly with Adaptec, so . . .? Where does that leave a user? Simple solution might be to start compiling a list of drives known to work, and also not work with the NCR driver. Then, we can avoid that combo. What other controllers support tagged queing? Do they have the same problems with the same drives? Is there life after death? expiring minds want to know!
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