Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari!otc!metro!physiol!johnd From: johnd@physiol.su.oz (John Dodson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec Subject: Re: QBUS SMD controllers Summary: Webster WQSMD Keywords: SMD QBUS disk controllers Message-ID: <505@physiol.su.oz> Date: 25 Jan 89 05:19:09 GMT References: <2744@rti.UUCP> Organization: Physiology Dept., Univ. of Sydney, NSW, Australia Lines: 38 In article <2744@rti.UUCP>, shaddock@rti.UUCP (Mike Shaddock) writes: > We are considering moving some CDC SMD/SMD-E disk drives from one of > our existing systems to a VAXstation II with BA123 enclosure and are > trying to decide on a QBUS SMD controller. I've seen the literature > from Emulex, Dilog, and Aviv. I would like to know what experiences > people on the net have had with any of these controllers, and if you > could recommend any others. Please reply by mail, and if there is > enough interest I will summarize for the net. Any experiences with > SMD controllers for a VAXstation 3xxx machine would also be > appreciated, since we may use one of those instead of a VAXstation II. I know that there have been a lot of problems with many 3rd party controllers in uvax 3's (read vaxstation/vaxserver 3XXX) the problems I think are mainly that the controller microcode is either too slow or not quite doing Q-bus transactions perfectly (a la DEC ;-) The Webster WQSMD is a 2 drive quad height controller with on board formatting/diagnostics, it emulates a dec mscp controller & allows you to name discs ( eg RA80, RA81, etc ) Documentation is good, (full circuit diagrams included, no microcode listing;-) AND It does work properly on uvax 3's !!! There is also an ESDI version of the same controller (WQESDI) controlling 4 drives. (they should by now also have a VMEbus version ;-) Enquiries can probably be directed to postmaster@wcc.oz or Webster Computer Corporation, 1270 Ferntree Gully Road, Scoresby, Vic. 3179 Australia johnd@physiol.su.oz I have no pecuniary interest in Webster Computer Corporation, I just use lots of their controllers !