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From: dave@oldcolo.UUCP (Dave Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Convergent Technologies - help needed!!
Keywords: CTIX
Message-ID: <[480.4]comp.misc;1@oldcolo.UUCP>
Date: 6 Jul 90 12:10:03 GMT
References: <16@mas.UUCP> <804@bilver.UUCP>
Lines: 32

Ah, the CT Miniframe. Whatever the Machiavellian schemes Convergent
may have had for it, it actually was useful to some of us who
were interested in makingthe transition from one-line BBSs to
multiline small subscription conferencing system, without buying
Ft Knox. Ran the Old Colorado City Electronic Cottage service for
5 years on 10 ports with few problems. About an un-supported a
machine as there ever was, so strictly do it yourself. Then a
second one, (the 'plus' model) for a client, and it ran fine.

But it had one peculiarity which now bedevils me. Sometimes it
just wouldn't boot on any of 2-3 stand-alone boot disks after
a power outage crash, unless I ran the Diagnostic disks, which
did nothing but run, then boot again on one of those odd-ball
600k floppy drives. Long since having moved to 386 SCO Xenix
machines for our service, I continued to use the CTs however,
as back end, RS232 connected machines doing things only a small
Sys 5 would do and Xenix wouldn't. 

But a few months ago an electrical storm brought both to their
knees, and I can't for the life of me get the stand alones to
boot the system so I can fsck the hard drives and keep truckin
without a total reinstallation. The standalones start to boot,
click along advancing on the floppy about a third of the way,
then sputter, and restart again by themselves. Such behavior
used to be associated with a change on what was attached to the 
RS232 ports. So much as remove one cable which had been attached
to a port, and it would never boot. Replace it and it would.

Now any suggestions would be appreciated, for I really have too
much to do to start all over with them, but I also hate to
have the lovable little critters sit there stone cold when there
are some uses for them yet.