Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!lll-winken!sun-barr!newstop!sun!wonky.Eng.Sun.COM!mjacob
From: mjacob@wonky.Eng.Sun.COM (Matt Jacob)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: Is DEC RZ23 real SCSI?
Keywords: Does DEC use some odd proprietary controller query scheme?
Message-ID: <136587@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 4 Jun 90 16:01:41 GMT
References: <1990Jun2.213812.13909@spock.UUCP> <5454@crltrx.crl.dec.com> <136580@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <14442@thorin.cs.unc.edu>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Lines: 32

In article <14442@thorin.cs.unc.edu> leech@ornat.cs.unc.edu (Jonathan Leech) writes:
>>>Experience has shown, however, that SCSI is far from the
>>>tightest specification in the world. (...)
>>Weak, buddy. Real weak. This would have been a truer statement 3-4
>>years ago, but not for the last couple of years.
>
>    Can we assume, then, that any SCSI drive manufactured in the last
>couple of years will work correctly when connected to a Sun SLC?
>(This is not a snide question; I'm thinking about buying either an SLC
>or a DS2100, and can't afford Sun/DEC mass storage prices).
>--
>    Jon Leech (leech@cs.unc.edu)    __@/

Well- I hope so. I realize that my statement was a bit too polemical.
I've put in a *lot* of hours trying to tie down at least the DIRECT
ACCESS devices. Ignoring formatting issues (which with respect to
supported MODE SELECT pages are still a little shakey), basic reading
and writing, disconnect/reconnect, sync negotiation, work pretty
well now.

Now- as a member of my company- and a very cautious one at that- I have
to put up a disclaimer: If I haven't tried it personally, I don't warrant
it.

As a user and observer of SCSI over the last five years, I have to, on
the other hand, state that the confusion and uncertainty over what a
proper implementation of the SCSI specs are has died down tremendously-
to the point that a new and unvalidated disk drive has, maybe, a 80-90% like-
lihood of working well. This is not the ideal, but it sure as hell is a
lot better than things were a couple of years ago.

-matt