Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!gatech!rutgers!ucla-cs!casey
From: casey@CS.UCLA.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Can you swap drive electronics packages?
Summary: Is someone pulling my leg, or are they just superstitious?
Keywords: Micropolis model 1355 170Mb winchester, drive electronics package
Message-ID: <16692@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 11 Oct 88 16:47:29 GMT
Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: casey@CS.UCLA.EDU (Casey Leedom)
Organization: UCLA
Lines: 40


  We recently had a problem with one of our DN4000's losing it's disk.
This was a big problem since we still don't have any comprehensive back up
plan and that drive hadn't ever been backed up (presumably our 8mm video
back up system should be arriving in about a week now).

  Well the Apollo hardware person came in.  She swapped disk controller
and no go.  Then she swapped disks and wa la, it worked.  Well, as far as
she was concerned, that was it, she was ready to wrap up her tools and
head for home.

  But wait I said, we really can't do this unless it's absolutely
necessary!  I mean, that drive error didn't look like a media failure;
why don't we try swapping the drive electronics packages?  ``What?'' was
all she said.  So I had to show her the little circuit card on the drive
and explain its function.  She looked dubious.

  In any case, I finally convinced her to call into head quarters and ask
whether it was possible.  The guy there, also recalcitrant, finally gave
the go ahead as long as ``no soldering is involved.'' These people really
know their work.  So we swapped the electronics packages (three minutes
of work) and the old disk worked perfectly and passed all her standard
tests.

  Now, one day later I get a call from that Apollo hardware person and
she wants to come back and swap the drive out anyway because they once
swapped drive electronics packages, or they heard of someone swapping
drive electronics packages once, and the drive failed two days later.

  What I want to know is this: am I dealing with superstition or a
professional opinion?  I'm willing to do the work if it's indeed
necessary, but that's a day of my time wasted if it's not.

  And, while I'm on the subject, if it does turn out that swapping drive
electronics packages is legitimate, why doesn't Apollo do it by default?
It's only three minutes of work and even if you did do a back up the
night before, you're going to lose work you didn't have to if it's the
drive electronics package that's failed.

Casey