Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!ogicse!jmeissen
From: jmeissen@ogicse.ogi.edu (John Meissen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: New GVP Controller questions
Message-ID: <12291@ogicse.ogi.edu>
Date: 20 Sep 90 17:27:28 GMT
References: <9009201538.AA28646@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Oregon Graduate Institute (formerly OGC), Beaverton, OR
Lines: 106

In article <9009201538.AA28646@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> jwhitman@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Jerry Whitman) writes:
>Hi all;
>
>I saw the beginning of this thread a couple weeks ago, but it seemed to die 
>out before I saw answers to areas I am concerned with, so I'll try to start
>it up again.
> [....]
I decided to take advantage of the offer, so I will try to address your
questions.

>Here are the issues that concern me:
>
>1.  How much real advantage do I gain by booting up under FFS as opposed to 
>    my current process using the  Old/Slow File System?  Is it significant
>    enough to warrent making the change?

My solution under the A2090(a) was to have a (very) small partition that
was autoconfigured, and got used just long enough to mount and switch over 
to a FFS partition as the main system partition.
If you are running your main partition under Old File System, switching to
FFS is definitely worth it. There are other methods, though, so that in
itself isn't reason enough to spend ~$100.

>2.  Do I have to reformat only the Boot partition to switch to the FFS since
>    the rest of the HD is currently FFS?  What is involved here?

You will have to reformat the drive anyway. See below.

>3.  I do not currently do or anticipate doing any serious graphics intensive
>    processing.  Will the purported 'new and improved' data transfer rate
>    give me any noticable improvement in the more mundane programs?  Am I 
>    missing something key here?

Under "normal" usage (non-interlaced) any improvement probably won't be
noticable if you are already using C='s A2090a, since it is already DMA.
If you do a lot of interlaced screen stuff then it may be noticable. Users
of non-DMA controllers will probably see the 'hit' their systems take when
doing disk transfers will go away.

>4.  This is sort of part 2 of question 2 above.  If I install the GVP 
>    controller will it be able to make sense out of my HD or will this be a
>    re-installation? (Re-Format and Re-Load the whole ball of wax)

I have been told that you will have to reformat and reload the whole
ball of wax. I, too, had an A2090, but I haven't received my GVP yet
so I can't comment from experience. Naturally, I will try without
reformatting first :-)

>5.  Is there any inherant advantage/disadvantage to having the memory
>    expansion on the controller board, and do I lose any 2090A functionality 
>    that I might need later?  Given GVPs reputation for quality
>    design I would suspect not, but I would rather ask than be sorry later.

Yes, the controller can DMA into the on-board memory without competing
for the Zorro BUS (so I have been told). This makes transfers faster than
if all the expansion memory was on another card.

>6.  Well, here it is, the inevitable catch-all question!!  What else do I 
>    need to know to make an intellegent decision concerning swapping out 
>    my 2090A for the GVP controller?

The REAL reason for upgrading is that (as far as I can determine) the
A2090(a) cannot be made to work with SCSI tape units, CD-ROM drives,
etc. If you anticipate wanting any of these later, you will be upgrading
anyway. Considering this, the upgrade makes a lot of sense on a cost basis.

As for negatives................

Expect to be without a working system for quite a while. They currently
have about a two week backlog, which means if you take your controller
out and ship it normal UPS and they ship theirs back the same way you
will be without a working system for 3 - 4 weeks.

I tried working with them to get around this (I am pinched badly just
being down a couple of days, and unfortunately it's stretched into over
a week now), by placing the order by phone and holding my controller 
until they said a replacement was ready. Even still, they didn't have
one when they said they did, they didn't ship when they said they would,
and they almost didn't ship next day air, like I paid them to. Luckily
I called they day they were shipping and caught that. With any luck it
will arrive this morning.

Expect to have a difficult time talking to anybody on the phone, and don't
expect a return call, even if they promise they will. I never got them
to return a single call in three weeks. (well, one, yesterday, finally,
hours before it was shipped)

These are frustrating problems, but also understandable. They are selling
literally thousands of these, and it is no doubt taxing their support
structure to the limit. 

It would have been MUCH nicer to be able to order the controller at
regular price, and get a return authorization for the trade-in so you
could keep your system up until the new controller arrived, then make
the switch and return the old one for credit. As it is, there is no
backing out, and if there are ANY problems getting the new controller 
to work you will be SOL.

>Regards, Jerry Whitman - Keeper of the FishXref and FishCon


-- 
John Meissen .............................. Oregon Advanced Computing Institute
jmeissen@oacis.org        (Internet) | "That's the remarkable thing about life;
..!sequent!oacis!jmeissen (UUCP)     |  things are never so bad that they can't
jmeissen                  (BIX)      |  get worse." - Calvin & Hobbes