Path: utzoo!dptcdc!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!pyramid!ctnews!mitisft!burton
From: burton@mitisft.Convergent.COM (Philip Burton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: 240 MB from Maxtor 1140 with RLL controller?  How is this done?
Keywords: AT RLL Adaptec
Message-ID: <623@mitisft.Convergent.COM>
Date: 17 Apr 89 23:27:39 GMT
Organization: Convergent Technologies, San Jose, CA
Lines: 33


Several weeks ago, there was a posting in this group about the successful
use of an Adaptec RLL controller (2372 ??) to get 240 MB out of a Maxtor 1140.
The writer noted that all 1224 cylinders of the drive were used.

Could this person or anyone else with specific experience help me out.  I tried
to call Adaptec tech support [ 408 945 2550] but the line is ALWAYS busy.

My AT is the old kind with only 15 drive types in the ROM BIOS.  The 
largest possible drive is Type 9, which is 15 heads, 900 cylinders.  Does
Adaptec provide a workaround?

My current (stock IBM) controller is limited to 1024 cylinders.  How does
Adaptec get around that limit?  

An RLL controller typically yields 26 sectors per track?  Does the Adaptec
"fool" DOS into thinking that there are more heads/cylinders, or does it
actually support 26 sectors?  I.e., what does Norton report for drive
information? 

Is 1:1 operaton supported?

Is the Adaptec BIOS support purely in hardware, or a combination of hardware
and software?  Does it go "low enough" into the hardware to fool IBM diagnostics?

Does this support work for all versions of DOS, including 4.0?  How about OS/2?
about Xenix?

Please e-mail me, or preferably post to the net for education of all.

--Phil Burton
--Convergent Technologies