Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!matthew
From: matthew@cs.su.oz (Matthew Geier)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: Adaptec ACB-5500 st506 to scsi, how to setup
Summary: Setup of Adaptec ACB-5500 - experiences
Message-ID: <1452@cluster.cs.su.oz.au>
Date: 7 Nov 90 22:16:43 GMT
References: <1990Nov6.180757.5079@cichlid.com>
Sender: news@cluster.cs.su.oz.au
Reply-To: matthew@cluster.cs.su.oz (Matthew Geier)
Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia
Lines: 29

In article <1990Nov6.180757.5079@cichlid.com> aab@cichlid.com (Andy Burgess) writes:
>I just purchased an ACB-5500 to attempt to make use of about 300mb of
>assorted st-506 drives from PCs. The 5500 can connect to 4 st-506 drives.
>Apparently the first time you use the device you must tell the controller
>what kind of drives you have attached. It then writes this info to the drives
>and from then on everything works (supposedly) like any other scsi drive.
>Andy Burgess
>Independent Software Contractor
>aab@cichlid.com
>uunet!silma!cichlid!aab

 I actually have a ACB 5500 and a 4000 as well. I used them on a locally made
(Australian) 68000 computer.
 The guy who wrote our SCSI driver , spent hours with the Adaptec technical
manuals , and eventually created a special program for uploading the drive
characteristics to the Adaptecs.
 A special SCSI message is transmitted for each ST-506 drive. Immediatly after
the setup message you must then format the drive .
 I would assume that SUN provides a utility to send a format command.
 It would be unlikely that a special Adaptec utility is supplied.

 If it comes to the worst , you could write a program that sends a SCSI message
directly onto the bus , and manually build data to be sent into the program.
 It only needs to be done once !
 Adaptec them selves should be able to help , that wasnt an option for us ,
since they are on the other side of the planet !

Matthew Geier,
matthew@cluster.cs.su.edu.au