Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!rice!sun-spots-request
From: coherent!celeste@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Celeste C. Stokely)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: why not scsi disks for servers?
Message-ID: <17024@coherent.com>
Date: 11 Jan 89 11:07:19 GMT
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Original-Date: 2 Jan 89 22:19:52 GMT
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 95, message 5 of 21

In the process of looking for large (at least 1GB) capacity disks for my
3/280 server, I've been looking at the new high-speed SMD drives and SCSI
drives. One vendor is showing me figures that seem to say that SCSI drives
are faster than high-speed SMD drives, like the CDC Sabre.

I had always equated SCSI=slow, SMD=fast, but now I'm questioning that.
What is the collected wisdom about SCSI vs. SMD for large, fast, reliable,
useful server drives? Is there some reason other than speed why I wouldn't
want a SCSI drive on my server?

I'm going to get an 8mm tape drive, so I have to get a SCSI controller
anyway. Should I really, seriously consider SCSI disks? They have always
seemed like "toy" disks to me.

Thanks for any advice!

..Celeste Stokely
Coherent Thought Inc.
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