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Date:      Fri, 28 May 1999 07:41:39 -0600 (MDT)
From:      "Kenneth D. Merry" <ken@plutotech.com>
To:        Michael.Elbel@consol.de (Michael Elbel)
Cc:        hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Support for Symbios vs. Adaptect SCSI
Message-ID:  <199905281341.HAA25729@panzer.plutotech.com>
In-Reply-To: <19990528132105.C70791@consol.de> from Michael Elbel at "May 28, 1999 01:21:07 pm"

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Michael Elbel wrote...
> In lists.freebsd.hardware you write:
> 
> >You recently made the following remark on freebsd-hardware:
> 
> >> The Adaptec chips are generally better supported in
> >> FreeBSD and I wouldn't consider anything else for systems that I build.
> 
> [...]
> 
> >Do you mean:
> 
> >	1) Has fewer bugs?
> >	2) Makes better use of the hardware capabilities?
> >	3) Has a maintainer who is willing/able to devote
> >           more time to the task?
> 
> >Are there specific deficiencies in the drivers for the Symbios cards
> >that cause you to recommend against them?
> 
> In that vein a question:
> 
> Has anybody managed to use either a DDS Drive (I have tried Sony and HP)
> and/or a CD changer (I tried a NAKAMICH MJ-5.16S) with *any* Adaptec 
> PCI controller without having to disable disconnect/reconnect in the 
> adapter setup for those targets? 
> 
> I've tried to no avail, the system didn't even get up to the boot prompt in
> most of the cases/combinations I've tried so far which leads me to guess at
> problems with the Adaptecs themselves rather than the FreeBSD drivers.
> 
> Disabling disconnect/reconnect stops the hangs but then one has a blocked
> SCSI bus while one of those devices does any operation. This can get quite
> annoying if e.g. a CD gets changed, causing a 5 second block on all
> disk activity :-(

I've used both Nakamichi CD changers and HP and Sony DAT drives on Adaptec
controllers with no problems.

In fact, I've got a SDT-5000 hooked up to an Adaptec now:

ahc0: <Adaptec 284X SCSI host adapter> at slot 1 on eisa0
sa0 at ahc0 bus 0 target 5 lun 0
sa0: <SONY SDT-5000 3.02> Removable Sequential Access SCSI-2 device 
sa0: 5.000MB/s transfers (5.000MHz, offset 8)

It works fine.  I wrote the CAM CD changer code and the CAM hot swap code
with a Nakamichi changer hooked up to an Adaptec controller.  (Thanks
Lars!)

> On the other hand, each and every NCR/Symbios controller I've used supported
> all devices with disconnect/reconnect enabled just fine.
> 
> These days I hang the disks on Adaptecs and put slow devices on a separate
> Symbios if I get the chance.

If you try some of those devices again on an Adaptec controller and still
have problems, I'd suggest talking to Justin about it.  He may be able to
figure out what the problem is.

Ken
-- 
Kenneth Merry
ken@plutotech.com


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