[SunRescue] Re: Hard drive testing

[dave at cca.orgdave]

bobkeys at weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu writes:

>> Will a 2000 series DEC box do the format deed as well as a 3000?  I have an
>> old 2000 series lunch box with the terminator pack...and nada else DEC.

>A VAXstation 2000 will do some kinds of formatting, but it only usually
>has an mfm controller, AFIK.  All of the 3100 series machinies had scsi
>controllers built in.  The 2000 does have a primitive form of scsi that
>might be usable for some things.  I dunno if the standard test 70 prom
>formatter will handle scsi, though.  It can run tapes and drives off
>the ``tape controller'' port.  NetBSD is supposed to work scsi correctly
>off the tape port.

I second the vaxstation 3100 for scsi problems recommendation. It
has always been very reliable for me. I also put all my removable
media scsi devices that give me problems on the vaxstation. I'm
not sure why, but I've had better luck with tape drives on that
machine than anywhere else. (My exabyte 8mm was "made for IBM" so
of course there's something weird about it and it won't play nice
with my suns. The vax talks to it though. Weird.)

However - the scsi controller on the vaxstation 3100s is actually
an optional daughter card. There are diskless machines out there
that don't have it.

-------- david fischer -------- dave at cca.org -------- www.cca.org --------
---------- never let reason stand in the way of self-confidence ----------