Xref: utzoo alt.sys.sun:1977 comp.periphs.scsi:1331
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!smsc.sony.com!tin
From: tin@smsc.sony.com (Tin Le)
Newsgroups: alt.sys.sun,comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: WREN-IV's on 386i no good?
Message-ID: <1990Nov9.182812.11874@smsc.sony.com>
Date: 9 Nov 90 18:28:12 GMT
References: <1990Nov9.202105.26802@melb.bull.oz.au>
Organization: Sony Microsystems Corp, San Jose, CA
Lines: 29

In article <1990Nov9.202105.26802@melb.bull.oz.au> sjg@melb.bull.oz.au (Simon J. Gerraty) writes:
>We have just had another 327Mb (WREN-IV) die on one of our 386i's here.
>I am wondering whether there is some fundamental problem with
>these disks (that would be strange as the Sun sales rep assurred
>me the reason they were so expensive was all the
>quality testing done... :-)  or whether in fact it is a fault in
>the SCSI controller or driver in the 386i.

Several years ago at another company, I went through 2 WREN-IVs on my
386i (within 6 months).  After talking with the Sun Service person who
came out to replace the drive, I gather that there is a ventilation
problem in the 386i cabinet.  I know from experience that when I open
up the case, it is very hot inside.  The dead drives were hot enough to
fry eggs on :< when I look inside (the cabinet) in an attempt to get
them working.  Both drive were so dead that I could not even get them
to spin up, the heads must have "fused" themselves to the platter!

Sun might (or might not) have redesigned the cabinet since then, I don't
know as I have not used a 386i since I left that company 2 years ago.

I'd advise you to find someone to keep the inside of your 386i cool.
That would probably help keep the drives from dying.  Good luck.

-- Tin
-- 
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