Xref: utzoo comp.periphs.scsi:805 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:483
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!xstor!iverson
From: iverson@xstor.UUCP (Tim Iverson)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: SCSI and RLL working together
Keywords: Maxtor 100S,Always IN-2000
Message-ID: <194@xstor.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jul 90 19:03:59 GMT
References: <153@oneb.UUCP>
Reply-To: iverson@xstor.UUCP (Tim Iverson)
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: Storage Dimensions, Inc.
Lines: 51

In article <153@oneb.UUCP> kmcvay@oneb.UUCP (Ken McVay) writes:
>
>Task:  Install Always IN-2000 SCSI bus and Maxtor 100S SCSI disk in
>       386 clone using existing RLL (WD 6SR2) controller and Miniscribe
>       8450, making the Maxtor the bootable disk.
[...]
>When I finished, the arrangement was:
>
>Disk 1 (Miniscribe RLL)         Disk 2 (Maxtor SCSI)
>C: <Boot>                       D:, E:, F: <all Read/Write>
>G: <Read/Write>
>
>Is it possible to arrange things somehow so that sequential partitions
>are arranged by physical position, rather than logical, ie that C: and D:
>are on disk 1?

Well, this arrangement is due to the way that the BIOS locates drives and
DOS searches for partitions on the drives found by the BIOS.  Since the BIOS
understands WD1003 register compatible controllers (almost all MFM and RLL,
and most ESDI), these kinds of drives are always ahead of non-WD1003
compatible controllers (almost all SCSI host adapters).  So, basically,
you're stuck with Miniscribe @ drive 0 and Maxtor @ drive 1.

DOS will first locate the normall partitions on each drive, then it will
locate the extended partitions, so unless you use a 3rd party driver (e.g.
SpeedStor), you're stuck with this too.  Or, if you don't mind not being
able to run chkdsk, you could use DOS's subst command.

>[paraphrased: 88MB via fdisk, 92MB via chkdsk]
>Did I err in doing the low-level with the Always bus? (I've done it with no
>similar problems on Seagate SCSI drives) If so, how can I correct the problem
>and get 96 megs?

SCSI drives are intelligent peripherals - the low level formating process is
entirely a function of the drive, not the host adapter.  So, changing the HA
will not alter the format on the drive.

Also, the LXT-100 is a 100MB unformatted capacity drive, so 92MB is a
perfectly normal formatted capacity.  Besides, there are three ways that MB
are computed: B/2^20, B/(10^3*2^10), and B/10^6.  Marketing types prefer
the last one when advertising, 'cuz it makes the drive look bigger, but
engineering types prefer the first one for simpler calculations in a
program.  The end result is that fdisk's 88MB is really the same as chkdsk's
92MB, and either way you've got all you can get.

>1B Systems Management Limited, Nanaimo, British Columbia | kmcvay@oneb.uucp
>           Canadian Distributor: FrontDoor Automated Mail Systems


- Tim Iverson
  uunet!xstor!iverson