Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!helios!ronniek
From: ronniek@cs.tamu.edu (Ronnie Killough)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux
Subject: Re: AUX on non Apple disk drive?
Message-ID: <6313@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Date: 3 Jul 90 16:28:44 GMT
References: <22932@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Sender: usenet@helios.TAMU.EDU
Distribution: comp
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
Lines: 26

In article <22932@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> pete@othello.dartmouth.edu (Pete Schmitt) writes:
>I would like to hear from anyone who has AUX running from a non-Apple
>disk drive.  I'm hearing conflicting reports that AUX does/doesn't run
>on non-Apple disk drives.
>

A/UX will indeed run on non-Apple drives, but you MUST be very careful
that when you order the drive that you are assured that the drive is
compatible with A/UX.  This means the internal-mechanism, not the brand
name on the box.  For some reason, some drives will not work with A/UX...
it has something to do with how the drive responds to SCSI errors or something.
There is a table in non-volatile RAM or maybe written on the drive itself
which is a list of parameters which control several things.  Some drives
have these parameters set up in such a way that A/UX complains when it tries
to write to the partitioned drive.

For example, I now have a 200MB drive from IDS which I am very happy with.
I don't know what the internal mechanism is, but the first 180MB drive I
got from IDS would not work with A/UX.  (The IDS folks were very nice and
replaced it with the 200MB drive which does work.  I did pay a small price
difference, but it was negligible).

Summary:  some non-Apple drives will work with A/UX, just make sure you get
	  that assurance when you order it.

Ronnie Killough