Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ukma!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!merch!cpe!tif
From: tif@cpe.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Can't boot Minix
Message-ID: <136600001@cpe>
Date: 10 Feb 89 21:07:00 GMT
References: <659@unocss.UUCP>
Lines: 22
Nf-ID: #R:unocss.UUCP:659:cpe:136600001:000:1185
Nf-From: cpe.UUCP!tif    Feb 10 15:07:00 1989


Written  6:45 am  Feb 10, 1989 by killer.UUCP!chasm in cpe:comp.os.minix
>In a possibly unrelated issue, has anyone run Minix on a machine with one
>of the "first party DMA" disk controllers that Tandy and several others
>are now selling?  These controllers are very fast and usually used with
>larger drives.  Since they (optionally) can do their own DMA transfers
>they may require some special care to avoid their new features -- the
>features have to be optional, since the ROMs on IBM ATs can boot up with
>the drive.  I believe WD makes one and Adaptec makes another.

I can speak for the SCSI controller that Tandy sells (Adaptec).  It is a
"first party DMA" board but is in no way compatible with typical HD boards
(at the register level).  The board can boot because it contains a ROM
which replaces the BIOS HD function with its own driver.  It is a VERY
nice board but I fear it would take SUBSTANTIAL effort to make minix
work with it.  It is set up ideally for Un*x but it is just radically
different from any ST-506-like adapter.  (Actually bios_wini.c might
work with it!).

			Paul Chamberlain
			Computer Product Engineering, Tandy Corp.
			{killer | texbell}!cpe!tif