(semi-long) What SCSI host adaptor card is inside the AT&T 6386E/33 WGS Model S ?

Thu Oct 19 08:15:14 AEST 1989

In article <1380 at ctisbv.cti-software.nl> pim at cti-software.nl (Pim Zandbergen) writes:
>Hi Netfolk,
>
>I am just glancing through the sales literature of the 
>AT&T 6386E/33 WGS Model S. It looks like a rather nice
>machine. But does anyone know what SCSI Host adaptor card 
>is inside this box? Is it the Adaptec, the Future Domain,
>or perhaps the new Mylex board, or none of the above?
>-- 
>Pim Zandbergen                                 internet : pim at cti-software.nl
>CTI Software BV                                uucp     : ..!uunet!ctisbv!pim
>Laan Copes van Cattenburch 70                  phone    : +31 70 542302
>2585 GD The Hague, The Netherlands             fax      : +31 70 512837

Actually it's none of the above.  The SCSI controller in the Model S
is a Western Digital 7000 series controller.  Don't think it's a stock
controller though, because it allows scatter-gather DMA.  It will be
sold as an add-on in two models, and another version will be sold only
in the Model S itself.  It could be that all three versions will be
the same controller with different jumper settings.

The controller that comes in the Model S will be a combo floppy/hard
disk controller that can function as the boot device.  This one might
be available by ordering it as a COMCODE (spare part) but I don't
think it will be available as a PEC.  This controller has taps for
both an internal SCSI bus and an external SCSI bus.

There are two versions that will be directly orderable as PECs.  The
first (PACKAGE A), which is intended to be used as a second host
adaptor for a Model S, the Model S will support up to 3 host adaptors
in total.  It will come without software since the Model S already
ships with a SCSI controller and Unix drivers.  It will also come with
a four foot SCSI cable.

Package B is intended as a SCSI add-on to an ESDI based machine (20
Mhz. 6386 desktop/tower, 6386/25, or 6386/33).  It comes with driver software
that will allow an ESDI based machine to talk to SCSI drives.  I'm not
enough of a Unix guru to know if /etc/boot and all the other files
needed to boot Unix will have enough knowledge to allow the machine to
boot off of SCSI after you've installed the SCSI drivers.  It also
comes with a 4 foot SCSI cable.  I believe we will only support one
add-on host adaptor to an ESDI based system.

If a machine has both ESDI and SCSI present, the machine will attempt
to boot off of the ESDI drive.  This means that if you purchase
Package B your boot device will still be the ESDI drive.  If for some
reason you add ESDI to a Model S (don't even know if it would work)
your boot device would now be the ESDI drive.

There are no plans to un-bundle the SCSI drivers.  So to get them you
either have to purchase a Model S, or have an ESDI-SCSI hibrid.  This
is VERY IMPORTANT.  It basically says that if you want to boot from
SCSI you need to purchase a Model S.  Unix gurus will probably proove
me wrong and flame me to death on this one tho.....(:-)

Incidentally, the Model S will not be orderable in a single-floppy
configuration; all versions ship with the combo floppy/SCSI controller
and atleast a 135 MB hard drive.  AT&T does not support and has no
plans to support MSDOS or OS/2 under SCSI.  All versions of the SCSI
controller are single-ended only (SCSI bus is limitted to 6 meters in
length total).  As I understand SCSI versions on the 3B2, the software
shipping on the initial versions will be the equivalent of SCSI
release 2 for the 3B2.  It will support mirroring, but currently
doesn't support EDA (Enhanced Data Availability).  There will also be
internal and external connect kits to cable up your drives.

The controller that I've seen (prototype) was a combo floppy/SCSI
controller and had straps to disable the floppy controller.  This leads
me to believe (possibly incorrectly) that all the items that we sell
will actually be the same controller with some jumpers moved or
absent.  Based on what I've seen from previous documentation on the
new products, the jumpers will be documented in the User's Guide that
will ship with the machine.

As for the cpu itself, there is no difference between the Model S and
the 6386/33 ESDI version other than the disk controller.  The Model S
also will ship in a bunch of bundled configurations that will have
Unix and a variety of software packages already installed.

One of my cohorts happened to be working with a var last week that was
trying an Imprimis 1.2 GB drive on that was running synchronous SCSI.
Said it was lightning fast.

-- 
Frank McGee, AT&T
Tier 3 Indirect Channel Sales Support
attmail!fmcgee