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Conference ssag::ask_ssag

Title:	Ask the Storage Architecture Group
Notice:	Check out our web page at http://www-starch.shr.dec.com
Moderator:	SSAG::TERZAN

Created:	Wed Oct 15 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	6756
Total number of notes:	25276

6420.0. "RZ58 in AlphaServer 1000a 5/300, Is it possible???" by VAXRIO::63008::lamotte (Alexandre Lamotte - MCS/BRASIL Mail to VAXRIO::LAMOTTE) Mon Feb 24 1997 05:41




      Hi,

         A customer of us have connected a pair of RZ58 in a AlphaServer 1000a 5/300.
When they inssued the command " sh dev " in srm console prompt, the disks didn't show up.
 In AlphaBios menu the disks were shown but with " offline" string. After the Wnt was
booted the disk manager didn't show the disks.
    The disks are in 2000 and 3000 firmware revision. I know there is a 3000 revision.
Does anybody know if a firmware update in the disks would solve the problem ?? Or the
Rz58 disks are not supported at all ??

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
6420.1	Replace These With Another Drive...	XDELTA::HOFFMAN	Steve, OpenVMS Engineering	`Thu Feb 27 1997 15:22`	16
	I'd replace these RZ58 drives with something else -- drives in that series tended to be a bit flakey. I'd definitely avoid them on a shared SCSI rail. The drives are supported -- if the customer wants to push the issue and configure these drives, I'd swap them for an RZ2x class drive. If the customer decides to proceed, make sure the drives have the current firmware version (3000, or higher). (An RZ28-class drive will be easier on all parties involved -- the drives are smaller, more capacious, less power-hungry, faster, etc.) No, I don't know where the firmware is located -- 3000 is reputedly only need for specific UNIX applications...
6420.2		SMURF::KNIGHT	Fred Knight	`Tue Mar 04 1997 12:06`	8
	The rev 3000 RZ58 contained a fix for a bus reset issue. So while it was ULTRIX that found the problem, any O/S that does bus resets is likely to see the problem (and therefore need the rev 3000 fix). Also remember that RZ58s don't have tagged queueing. So, any shared bus application that requires tagged queueing is not going to work with RZ5x family drives.
6420.3	and my .02 worth..	SUBSYS::VIDIOT::PATENAUDE	Ask your boss for ARRAY's...	`Tue Mar 04 1997 14:45`	7
	All buses do resets, not all systems saw problems with this drive, actually only the old DECsafe/ASE reported problems. I have version 3000 flash code for the RZ58 but the drive is not even worth the effort or risk of even trying to load it (can kill drive if done wrong). Your time and trouble cost many times more than the drive is worth, $ wise.