Xylogics 753 problem

[Jim_Dunn at aberdeen.ac.uk]

On Monday morning, our 3/180 file server was found to be in a curious
state where it seemed to have lost contact with all its devices.  However,
I booted it as a client of a 3/50 and it ran happily if rather slowly.
Eventually the problem was traced to the Xylogics 753 disc controller,
which seemed to have "gone on fire" presumably as described in Sun-Spots
some time ago.  Following that posting, we had our original 753 board
replaced by one with a heat sink, and whatever's happened now has happened
under the heat sink where we can't see.  But it looks as though the heat
sink isn't doing its job too well.  Removing the board brought the machine
back to normality except for the unavailability of the disc the 753 board
controlled, and we now have a replacement 753 board. The engineer told me
they all come fitted with heat sinks now.

I don't know how interested Sun-Spotters will be in this little tale, but
I was commanded to broadcast it.