Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!gatech!hubcap!disd
From: disd@hubcap.UUCP (Gary Heffelfinger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: FFS with 512 byte buffers
Message-ID: <4263@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: 31 Jan 89 17:43:32 GMT
References: <2188@van-bc.UUCP>
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Lines: 42

From article <2188@van-bc.UUCP>, by lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips):
> In <2144@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU>, cheung@vu-vlsi.Villanova.EDU (Wilson Cheung) writes:
>>	I've been hearing people getting satisfactory results with FFS using
>>a 32K setting for MaxTransfer.
> 
>>Unfortunately the driver for my hard disk will only permit a MaxTranser of 512K bytes.
> 
> That is unfortunate. Are you sure about the 512 bytes figure? I have seen a
> number of figures for different products, but none as low as this. What
> driver/controller are you running?

[Assuming for the moment that he meant 512 and not 512K]

I'll bet large sums that he's running the Pacific Periph. Overdrive.  I've been
running at this level, because that's all the driver software will take.
(I assume that it's the software that's the problem.)  The system will
guru when loading executables, if the MaxTransfer is set higher than 1
block at a time.


> The only recommendation I can think of is to wait for an upgrade to the driver,
> or if that will not happen, change to another controller. Runninf FFS at a
> maxTransfer of 512 bytes offers only marginal improvement in speed and drive
> data capacity.
Marginal in r/w speed, true.  Directories are still clocking in at
~100 files/sec according to Diskperfa.







Gary




-- 
Gary R Heffelfinger   -  Not speaking for Clemson University           
disd@hubcap.clemson.edu       -- FIX the Holodeck --
       Furman Paladins --- National Champs!!