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From: tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi (Teemu J. M|tt|nen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware
Subject: Re: MCA SCSI controllers ?
Message-ID: <1991May23.223620.1@cc.helsinki.fi>
Date: 23 May 91 20:36:20 GMT
References: <1991May22.164103.1@cc.helsinki.fi> <91143.075027U39648@uicvm.uic.edu>
Sender: news@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Uutis Ankka)
Organization: University of Helsinki
Lines: 53

In article <91143.075027U39648@uicvm.uic.edu>, U39648@uicvm.uic.edu (Darius Vaskelis) writes:
>>So, any info is appreciated (price, experiences, performance). BTW,
>>are the IBM ones both bus-masters and could the one with 32-bit
>>interface be used in a model 60 (16-bit) ?
> 
> Both IBM SCSI controllers are bus-masters, and both work in 16-bit or
> 32-bit slots.  One only uses a 16-bit data path and has no cache, and
> one uses a 32-bit data path and has a 512K cache.  Both are VERY fast.
> 
> I have no experience with the Procom SCSI, but there are MANY 3rd party
> SCSI adapters available.  As your local IBM rep to get you the entire
> list from the Micro Channel catalog.  The only-non IBM one I've seen
> was the Future Domain one.  It's 16-bit, no cache, and a slave (non-
> bus-master).

    I have that MC catalog. The local IBM dealer had no idea that one
    even existed :-) BTW, I saw in PC Week (April 8) an ad by Future
    Domain, about their SCSI-2 host adapters. Is SCSI-2 that much better
    than SCSI-1 that I should consider one of these ? The ad said that
    SCSI-2 speed is 10MB/sec, what's the speed of SCSI-1 ?

> It worked and seemed speedy, but I like the IBM 16-bit one over it
> because it's in the same price range (~$300 US educational price)
> and offers a bus-master.  IBM's controller is also VERY easy to use
> from the reference disk without any fussing at all.  Just plop on
> a couple SCSI devices, power up auto-configuration from the reference,
> and wala.  Done.  Need to low-level format them?  Press Control-A and
> select format fixed disk, and you get a nice menu like this:
> 
> Select fixed disk:
> 
> 1. IBM 60MB Fixed Disk
> 2. SEAGATE 48MB Fixed Disk
> 
> Not bad in my eyes.

    Not in my eyes either. I went and asked the dealer about the ProCom card.
    He recommended it because it had a standard SCSI interface and IBM doesn't
    (according to him). So, are there different SCSI interfaces ? I mean is it
    possible to hook 3rd party drives etc to the IBM adapters ? He also claimed
    that one has to power-up external SCSI drives before the computer for the
    IBM adapters to recorgnize them. Otherwise the PS/2 won't boot. He said
    that the ProCom adapter has no such problems.

    One other thing: anyone have info on the internal fax/modem for the PS/2
    L40SX (Group III ? MNP ? $$$ ?) or the docking station (space for 2nd hd ?
    connector for full-size keyboard ?) ?

    Teemu.
-- 
    Teemu Mottonen / Department of Computer Science / University of Helsinki
    tmottonen@cc.helsinki.fi | TMOTTONEN@FINUH | tmottone@kruuna.helsinki.fi
    address: Vapaalantie 26B, SF-01650 Vantaa, Finland / tel: + 358 0 844938