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From: dt4100c@medtron.medtronic.com (Derek Terveer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: Adaptec 1522 question
Message-ID: <1990Nov20.021203.3045@medtron.medtronic.com>
Date: 20 Nov 90 02:12:03 GMT
References: <4748@rsiatl.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Medtronic, Inc., 7000 Central Avenue NE, Fridley, MN, 55432 USA
Lines: 46

jgd@rsiatl.UUCP (John G. DeArmond) writes:

>I was recently in a large chain PC store the other day trying to make an
>emergency SCSI controller purchase.  The store had the usual ST-02s and the
>like and then one of the people in the service department pulled out an
>Adaptec board labeled AHA1522.  This is a half-card configuration with 
>a blue-million jumpers and a couple of ASIC chips.

>I've since talked to someone else who said that the card is register
>compatable with the 1542 and Roy's utilities should run.  Not wanting to
>risk my money, I passed on the deal.  So my question is:  What is this
>card?  How does it compare to the 1542?  What is a good price for the card?

I have heard conflicting information about this card.  Supposedly, this is
a non bus-mastering version of the 1542 SCSI controller card.  I was told by
someone, at adaptec ts, i believe, that the 1522 should look just like a 1542
to applications.  I was told by Esix that the 1522 would require a different
driver and that initially they were would come out with one in a month, but
now they seem to have no plans to create one.

I purchased a 1542a for my machine in order to "solve" my storage problems
and to get a faster disk transfer rate (i thought that the mfm 50..80K/second
was a bit *too* slow...).  Unfortunately, my motherboard does not pass the
bus-master test and Esix chokes and dies...  So, i thought that a 1522 would
fix the problem, since it doesn't use the DMA that fails on my board.  (And
no, don't tell me to tell the vendor that the board is broken -- i have 
already tried and they keep stubournly telling me that my board ".. does
support SCSI."  I've swapped out 2 boards with them.  Sigh.)

Anyway, if the DMA is controlled by the (software) SCSI driver, then i guess
i'm out of luck with the 1522.  If it is handled transparently by the card,
then maybe it will work with Esix.

Anyone know about this?  Has anyone tried a 1522 with esix (or any other
5.3.2-type unix) with a motherboard that had previously failed the 1542[ab]
bus-mastering test?

Also, as an aside, i was told by the tech support guy at the place from
which i purchased the 1542a that the 1542 A version can not be used on machines
faster than 20MHz.  This is really great, because i have a 25 MHz clone.
I don't know if this is true or not.

derek
-- 
Derek "tigger" Terveer
Just the facts, ma'am:		det@medtronic.com