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From: davidb@brac.inmos.co.uk (David Boreham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
Subject: Re: Iserver
Message-ID: <16220@ganymede.inmos.co.uk>
Date: 23 May 91 09:15:26 GMT
References: <21696.9105221006@prg.oxford.ac.uk>
Sender: news@inmos.co.uk
Reply-To: davidb@inmos.co.uk (David Boreham)
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Lines: 54

In article <21696.9105221006@prg.oxford.ac.uk> HALLAM@vax1.physics.oxford.ac.uk ("Phillip M. Hallam-Baker") writes:
>
>Paul Casteels (casteels@phs.uia.ac.be)
>writes :-
> Does there exist a port of Iserver for DECStations that are connected
>via a SCSI interface to a transputer network ?
>
>There are three bits you need.
>
>1 A SCSI TRAM *Which allows you to boot and analyse under SCSI host control*
>2 A SCSI device driver
>3 The Iserver source
>
>Item 3 is easy. Inmos supply this with the toolset.
>
>Item 2 is probably there. I don't Know about the DECstation. But DEC certainly
>	supply a SCSI class driver under VMS - in source form. If not try
>	to hassle DEC - they must have a source somewhere and letting you
>	borrow it will help them sell DECstations.
>
>Item 1 is unclear. Some SCSIs do some don't some are vague. Most appear to
>	be designed with disk serving in mind. Noone seems to have thought of
>	using them as an interface.
>

Certainly our SCSI interface (B422) is for disk (and other device) attach
and for building equipment which looks like a SCSI Traget---not for doing
transputer array dangling from a WS.

You don't just need a TRAM with subsystem. You need someting with ROM,
with subsystem and with a motherboard which allows _another_ transputer
to be the dev sys target. This is important since if you just built
a SCSI TRAM with a subsystem and ROM on it and fitted it to a motherboard,
you wouldn't have another subsystem to go from the first real transputer 
to a target network.

The IMS B300 is the TCP/IP product and we shipped some a couple of months
ago. Software beta testing is underway now and product B300's are expected
in July/August. Price is around $4K and that gets you four user capability.

In fact you could build a SCSI B300 by replacing the Ethernet TRAM with a
SCSI TRAM and concocting the right software. We have no plans to do this
but the boards are all available from INMOS so if someone out there wants
to put the thing together, it is possible.

As for turbochannel---we've looked at it but don't see any demand.
Current strategy is to support attachment via Ethernet---moving
to FDDI and SCSI for T9000 and to support very popular busses only
where there are good price/performance reasons for doing so. This
means ISA, MCA, SBus, VME and perhaps EISA.

David Boreham, INMOS Limited | mail(uk): davidb@inmos.co.uk or ukc!inmos!davidb
Bristol,  England            |     (us): uunet!inmos.com!davidb
+44 454 616616 ex 547        | Internet: davidb@inmos.com