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Conference vaxaxp::alphanotes

Title:Alpha Support Conference
Notice:This is a new Alphanotes, please read note 2.2
Moderator:VAXAXP::BERNARDO
Created:Thu Jan 02 1997
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:128
Total number of notes:617

52.0. "SCSI controller for DEC3000/300" by VAXRIO::CUPOLILLO () Wed Feb 26 1997 08:32

    
        Hi,
    
        During the repair of a DEC3000/300 System Board it was necessary to
    change the SCSI Controller chip, originally the board had a NCR 53C94 
    chip (Digital pn# 21-31889-01), so we ask our local Logistics a new chip
    with this pn, but instead of a NCR chip we received a Symbios 53CF94-2
    chip.
    
        With the new chip the machine passes all power-up tests but is
    unable to recognize any SCSI devices placed in the SCSI bus.  Does
    anybody have any information that could help us with this problem?
    
        Many thanks,
    
        Cupol
    
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52.1Get NCR Chip, or Contact Support Engineers DirectlyXDELTA::HOFFMANSteve, OpenVMS EngineeringWed Feb 26 1997 09:5216
    If the proper chip has gone end-of-life (EOL) and no direct emulation
    is available, this is *way* beyond a notes conference discussion...

    You're going to have to take this up with the folks responsible for
    the design and maintenance of this system -- WRKSYS::DEC3000 is the
    notes conference best suited for discussions of this system.  (But
    I'd take this up directly with the responsible engineers...)

    Either get the correct NCR chip, get a correct emulation of the
    working NCR chip, or swap out the board for one with the correct
    NCR chip.  (Without doing some serious investigation of the module
    and the Symbios and NCR chips (beyond the obvious potential for an
    invalid NCR emulation), it's not clear if this is a hardware or a
    software problem, or some inter-reaction of the two...)

52.2BBPBV1::WALLACEjohn wallace @ bbp. +44 860 675093Wed Feb 26 1997 12:193
    What Steve said.
    
    But note that Symbios is the new name for the chips piece of NCR.
52.3not a direct replacementWRKSYS::HOUSEKenny House, Workstations EngineeringWed Feb 26 1997 13:497
    The 53CF94 chip is the fast SCSI version of the 53C94.  As noted, and
    so far as the SCSI chip business is concerned. Symbios is the same
    company that NCR used to be.  You may be able to upgrade to the
    lastest SCSI driver which recognizes this chip.  Then again, there may
    not be any way to use this chip in a Pelican system.
    
    -- Kenny House
52.4THANKSVAXRIO::CUPOLILLOThu Feb 27 1997 07:546
    
    
        Thanks for the prompty replies.
    
        Cupol