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From: rjn@hpfcmp.HP.COM (Bob Niland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: Request for info about 3rd party HPIB disk drives
Message-ID: <1260027@hpfcmp.HP.COM>
Date: 2 Apr 88 16:46:00 GMT
References: <228@voysys.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Ft. Collins CO
Lines: 34

re: "We have an HP9000/350 and need additional disk storage.  Given the
     overpriced nature of HP disk drives, we are looking for other sources."

The prices of the 81 Mb HP 7957A and 131 Mb 7958A were recently dropped.
You should also check out the just-introduced 304 Mb HP7959B and the
7957/58/59S SCSI discs.  If these are still "overpriced"...

There are only three non-HP vendors of HP-IB discs that I know of:  Bering,
Systems Industries and ISA (in Japan, IEM in the U.S.).  Check any
HP-focused trade publication for addresses and phone numbers.  I know
nothing about the price, quality, performance or compatibility of these
drives on HP systems.  Be sure to compare life-cycle costs (i.e.
maintenance and/or service contract charges).  If none of these are
satisfactory...

You could replace the 98262A high-speed HP-IB daughter board in your 350
with the just-introduced 98265A SCSI interface.  Thus configured, you have
access to the wide world of SCSI discs.  Although the 7950S discs are
complete subsystems, finding a 3rd-party SCSI disc that includes a box,
power supply and ALT2 (as opposed to unshielded ribbon) connector will
provide endless hours of entertainment :-) There is also a small chance that
you will need to mess with the SCSI driver (provided in object *and* source
form for this reason).  The rev C boot ROM can load HP-UX from many SCSI
discs (all the ones we have tried, anyway).

You could also snap a 98577A VME card cage on your 350, purchase an ESDI,
SMD or other disc interface, and write a driver (manual now available from
HP).  This would probably not be economical, however, and booting from such
a disc would be difficult or impossible.

Welcome to the world of "open systems", coming to a computer near you in
HP-UX release 6.0.

Bob Niland   ARPA:rjn%hpfcrjn@hplabs.HP.COM   UUCP:[ihnp4|hplabs]!hpfcla!rjn