Path: utzoo!lsuc!eci386!ecicrl!clewis
From: clewis@ecicrl.UUCP (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: can.usrgroup
Subject: Re: Is it the interleave?
Message-ID: <695@ecicrl.UUCP>
Date: 8 Oct 89 06:53:20 GMT
References: <891006074552.5152@tmsoft.uucp>
Reply-To: clewis@ecicrl.UUCP (Chris Lewis)
Distribution: ont
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ferret Division, Toronto, Canada
Lines: 32

In article <891006074552.5152@tmsoft.uucp> brian@ncrcan.Toronto.NCR.COM writes:

>I have Maxtor 1140 disks formatted to approx. 305MB (really 319,610,880 bytes).
>This is done on PC's with Perstor Controllers (31 Sectors/track) and using
>the 1140 disks as if they were 2190's (ie, 1224 cylinders instead of the 
>918 as published by Maxtor).  I have yet to come across a Maxtor 1140 on
>which this couldn't be done.

Woooffff!  Could you tell us a little more about the Perstor?

I know about MFM -> RLL conversions, where the controller uses a
different data encoding to improve the data storage per track by 50%.
Most MFM (ST506) drives are capable of handling this reliably.

But the Perstor must be doing somewhat more than that - eg: lying
about the geometry and multiplying the storage per track by something
close to 3!  Is it doing compression or something?  What's the performance
like?  1:1 capable?

Are they AT bus and AT compatible?  (eg: command interface compatible with 
standard AT controllers like WD1007 ESDI controllers are)

This might be a cheap way to upgrade capacity for people with existing
drives.  However, unless it can get an additional factor of two in there,
(for some reason large ST506's (like the XT1140) list for more than
380 Mb ESDI drives including controller!), new systems are better off
going ESDI.  For cost *and* performance.
-- 
Chris Lewis, Elegant Communications Inc.
UUCP: {uunet!mnetor, utcsri!utzoo, uunet!attcan!lsuc, yunexus}!ecicrl!clewis
Moderator of the Ferret Mailing List (ferret-request@eci386)
Phone: (416)-294-9253