Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pmafire!mica.inel.gov!guinness!guinness.idbsu.edu!alex From: alex@opal.idbsu.edu (Alex Feldman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp Subject: Re: 3rd party disk drive for HP720 ? Message-ID: Date: 8 Jun 91 22:26:47 GMT References: <1991Jun8.211659.1137@idaho.uucp> Sender: usenet@guinness.idbsu.edu (Usenet News mail) Organization: Boise State University Math Dept. Lines: 56 In-Reply-To: rhodesii@idaho.uucp's message of Sat, 8 Jun 1991 21:16:59 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: ruby In article <1991Jun8.211659.1137@idaho.uucp> rhodesii@idaho.uucp (III) writes: >Does anybody have any experience/recommendations/comments >on hanging an external 3rd party disk (> 1GB) off of an HP-720 ? >With the IBM-320 we had to go through several iterations >to get the special "IBM" SCSI cable. We'd like to avoid >this with the HP and get it right the first time. > I don't know if this solution will work for a 720, since I have only used it on the 400 series, but I expect that it will, and anyway it is probably about time for me to post this rather generic article again. We have a 400t connected to a 660S SCSI enclosure (I think that's redundant, but that's life). We shopped around for another disk to put in it, and the best deal (overall) that we could find was a 1 GB HP drive. The odd thing was, this particular drive was only sold through distributors and was not supported for Unix. Incidentally, the cable to connect the enclosure to the 400t is a specialty item. Grit your teeth and pay HP their outrageous price for the cable and the enclosure. I don't have the model number of the drive handy, but I am told that the internal designation is a Coyote IIG. We bought it through Anthem Electronics in Salt Lake City (sorry, I don't have the phone number handy, either), and I understand that the same disk is sold through several different distributors, at several different prices. The disk comes with a 5 yr. guarantee, which was the clincher for us. I think we paid ~$2700. for the drive. The first drive they sent us was defective, but they sent us a new one right away, we plopped it into the enclosure, and bingo... worked like a champ. It is as quiet and fast as the original 660 MB that was already in the enclosure, and we boot off it with no problem. I did get some help from a guy at the plant (solicited through this newsgroup) setting the jumpers, but even without that we would have gotten it going (once we got a working drive) as there were only a few jumpers to set, and they were all correct but one as they came from the factory. Not that I didn't appreciate the help... unlike some readers of this group, I am very pleased by the interest HP employees show in this group, and I have found their contributions to have a *very* high signal-to-noise ratio... I just don't want anyone scared off by the prospect of setting some jumpers. The guys downstairs have a cluster of DecStations, and they liked the drive, the price, and the warranty so much they went right out and bought their own (they put it in a slightly modified TK-50 chassis). They don't boot off it, but it has worked fine for them. HP makes too many different kinds of disk drives, and I am convinced that they are only hurting themselves with this strategy. I will spare readers of this group my analysis of the situation, but the result is that when you look for 3rd party drives for HP systems, consider HP. Perhaps someday they will rationalize their product line, but until they do, it pays to play these games. -- --alex alex@opal.idbsu.edu