Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 22:23:08 -0700 From: Blaine Minazzi <bminazzi@w3page.com> To: isp@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Newsserver running NCR815 cards Message-ID: <329538BC.53BBB886@w3page.com> References: <199611220354.VAA09926@brasil.moneng.mei.com>
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Joe Greco quothe Blaine Minazzi: > > > Well, I have not been able to use the NCR 53C810 Cards with 2.1.0 . > > I think there may be something wrong with the driver. > > It worked well with my IBM Drive, 615E 1.2 Gig, but it would not > > work with my HP 2 Gig Drives at all... > > > > 2.1.5 would not work with either one. > > > > I switched to a 2940 and all is well. Put the NCR controller in > > my Linux box, and everyone is happy. ( Same motherboard type in both > > machines. ) > > It was not worth messing around with. Save a few bucks on an NCR card, > > piss away several hundred dollars worth of time. > Joe Greco Expoundeth: > That's odd, they work great here. > > Since many things have changed in the ~ 1 year since 2.1.0R came out, I > would certainly suggest you try 2.1.6R. 2.1.6??? I am running 2.1.5R... > I am running a dozen and a half of the ASUS SC-200 cards (do not scrimp and get cheapies, they can be problematic) to run ninety three drives of > various types (including Quantum ProDrive/Atlas, Seagate Hawk/Barracuda, > and some older HP drives, probably some others too, I know that the > HP-C3323 works great but the 3724 does not work right under 2.1.0R, but > that is reportedly due to firmware bugs in the drive.) I have some of the 3725 (?) methinks. If it is a firmware bug in the _DRIVE_ , why does it work like a champ with the 2940. or, on the same note, why does the same card and drive work fine under Linux? ( exact same drive, Card, MB type... ) Maybe it is the drive... But the IBM 615 E 1.2 Gig that I have, which Did work with 2.1.0 R quit working with 2.1.5 and the Same controller card. Both Drives will work with these cards under Linux, no problem. ( At first, I suspected the card, so I got another one. Same results.) Kinda leads me to suspect the FreeBSD code. But, It matters not, as I need something that works *today*... So, you get a 2940 and life goes on. The $120 per controller is chicken feed where each server is worth thousands per month in revenue. I am not bashing the NCR stuff, I run it on my Linux workstation, and it works like a champ... And, if it DID work for me under FreeBSD I would certainly run them. They have a great reputation, and they are cheaper to buy initially, and performance is similar. No desire to spend money needlessly! I am curious about the "cheapies" you mention. These cards are only $45 - $60 wholesale... What is a cheapie? Do I have to spend more than that... I only pay $175 on the 2940's. To me that is appx $120 price diff. I figure that the 4 - 5 hours I spent when doing the upgrade from 2.1.0 to 2.1.5 trying to figure out why my hard drives wouldn't work anymore is about $500 worth of my time. ( If I was billing it out. ) or, put another way, that is about 4 controllers worth. Anyway, my logic is thus... ( Standard disclamer, YMMV. IMHO, CYA, RTFM, TTYL. ) 1: My HP Drives DO work with the 2940. 2: My HP drives do NOT work with the NCR. 3: I cannot fix the above problem. 4: Beating head against wall for hours will not fix problem. 5: Spending a couple extra bucks for 2940 will fix problem. ( I found answer by using DeJa News. Others had reported exact same problem. ) Therefore, since I have limited time, I will wait for someone else who is a far better programmer than I, ( most anyone ? :-) to fix the problem. In the meantime. my servers run fine with the Adaptec cards, and life goes on.... Servers serve, hard drives drive hard, lights flash, modems squeel and all is well in my corner of the universe. Blaine Minazzi
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