Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!dptg!ulysses!andante!princeton!udel!wuarchive!usc!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!rpA-Inc
From: rpA-Inc@cup.portal.com (RP and Ainc)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: SCSI drives with WIN3
Message-ID: <36115@cup.portal.com>
Date: 21 Nov 90 04:34:20 GMT
References: <824@VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 45

I have an Adaptec AHA1542B controller on a 386/20 clone. It is far better
than the Future Domain TMC-870 I used to have in this machine. The TMC
requires a custom driver if you are to use it for other than C drive. It is
also buggy and slow and the customer support is terrible...

The 1542B can be used for either C or D. The custom driver then comes
in for E and above. I have used it under DOS 4.0.1 and Windows 3.0 without
any problems. I have two 80MB Seagate ST296N's daisy-chained to it. The
1542B also supports two floppy drives.

Compatibility note: I also have a Syquest SQ-555 42 MB disk-cartridge which
I can directly plug into either the 1542B and use as the E drive, or
straight into the Mac II (with different cartridges, of course).

I've also used a CD-ROM (NEC) daisy-chained to the 1542B without any
problem (and yes... into the Mac as well). I will also be trying a
streaming tape cartridge soon. The 1542 will probably need a special tape
driver (as will the Mac).

If it isn't already obvious, the goal is to acquire (through exhaustive
pre-planning and research) peripherals that can be shared identically 
between the Mac and a SCSI-based PC. There are also 1542B drivers for 
SCO Unix and Xenix. A/UX on the Mac will naturally support all SCSI drives.
So you can potentially have Unix cornered on either platform as well...

Oh yes... If you get an Ethernet card for the PC and the Mac (plug-in card
or SCSI Nodem type) and run something like TOPS, you can just leave the
peripherals on one machine and share them across the network... Gives
the pant-knees a longer half-life (:-)

Of course, if you eventually move up to Unix, you can also acquire TCP/IP,
NFS, and X-windows for both PC's and Mac's. But that's another story
altogether...

Hope this helps...

Cheers...

Ramin Firoozye'
rp&A Inc.
San Francisco, CA.

(P.S. I am not at all affiliated with any of the above vendors... just a
 happy customer who hasn't hit a big brick wall with all this mixing and
 matching business yet).