Todd
Guest
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 Posted: Mon May 17, 2004 12:43 am Post subject: Confusion in newsgroup re:SCA I/II adptrs |
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I have read quite a few posts where some actually actually believe that
adapters for SCA I+II drives to LVD 68 pin cables are OK. Please spend some
more time reading whitepapers from websites such as Seagate, Hitachi,
Western Digital, Maxtor, Adaptec, and LSI instead of these adapters
manufacturer sites. The main problem with these adapters (other than loose
connections, price, and termination issues) is the stub length. Even the
adapter manufacturers state that no more than 2-(two) adapters can be used
on a single SCSI bus.
I read one where some misinformed person stated that if devices are
within the LVD- 12m cable limitation, there should be NO data loss. I went
through the process of buying 6- SCA II drives (2-IBM Ultra-160 9.1G
w/adapters, 4- Seagate 18.2G UW), buying a Compaq Smart Array 221 controller
card, then an Adaptec 39160 card, 2- U320 LVD 2-drive cables, and 3- active
LVD terminators. I got each of these for great prices, but after running
into the same wall over and over again, I stopped. I purchased a split
backplane, permanently mounted my drives (no hot swap necessary), and had no
problems installing, formating, and initiating them on seperate SCSI busses.
To quickly answer grumblers,
| Quote: | I purchased SCA-II drives based on the promise of a friend that he had a
hot-swap 8-drive case with a Dual Pentium Pro board for me (he did, but only |
one. It hosts 2-websites he remembered later).
| Quote: | I bought a split backplane. One for Seagate's, and one for Ultrastar's.
I bought the Smart Array 221 Controller as an uninformed shopper. I did not
realize that it was compatible only with Proliant Enclosures. Doooh! |
I want to save other beginners in the SCSI world who are confused, but
eager to work with the increased performance (compared to ATA) from nickel
and diming themselves to death. I advise the enclosures on E-Bay/Yahoo that
fill 3-5.25" bays, and hold 4-5 devices vertically.
To simply put it, those 80 pin-68 pin adapters cannot be expected to
work. Some do, and I cheer for the lucky ones that own them. But for every
one that does work, there must be 15-20 others with rising blood pressure,
as they see error messages or low transfer rates at startup.
Thanx for reading and I hope this helps someone.
Todd,
B4Shore |
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