Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!jarthur!petunia!rducky!xtree!jrp
From: jrp@xtree.xtree.com (JIM PICKERING)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: 1024 cylinder limit for MFM drives?
Message-ID: <1990Dec20.033141.1085@xtree.xtree.com>
Date: 20 Dec 90 03:31:41 GMT
References: <276472BB.15476@ics.uci.edu> <1600@ulowell.ulowell.edu> <2674@sixhub.UUCP>
Reply-To: jrp@xtree.UUCP (JIM PICKERING)
Distribution: usa
Organization: XTree Company
Lines: 22

In article <2674@sixhub.UUCP> davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:
>In article <1600@ulowell.ulowell.edu> mschedlb@hawk.ulowell.edu (Martin J. Schedlbauer) writes:
>
>| BIOS can't handle more than 1024 cylinders. You'll need a controller
>| that does sector translation. This is what is typically done for ESDI
>| drives, as they still have the same limitations. ESDI or ST506/MFM/RLL
>| makes no difference to BIOS.
>
>  SCO, ESIX, and (at least Dell) V.4 will handle >1023 very nice nicely.
>We had the same problem with ISC earlier this year. The temporary fix
>was to use only 2/3 of the disk, the long term solution was to use
>another version of UNIX.
>-- 
>bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen)
>    sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX
>    moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list
>"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me

Many MFM disk controllers have the WD1010 chip installed which cannot
handle more than 1024 cylinders.  MFM controllers with the WD2010 can.

jim