From: mathog@seqaxp.bio.caltech.edu
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 11:12 AM
To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com
Subject: Re: Unsupported adapters within the DS20

In article <Fv0pKt.9Br@spcuna.spc.edu>, Terry Kennedy <terry@gate.tmk.com> writes:
>  I don't know why the DS20 doesn't use its IDE ports. The DS10 comes with
>an IDE CD-ROM and can be configured with IDE hard disks. Of course, you'll
>get better performance with SCSI.

Yes, but it will cost you more than IDE will.  $200 will put an IDE disk in 
a DS10, but it's more like $600 to get working scsi.  For linux I don't see
much of a performance difference between SCIS and IDE for everyday use, but
that's because they have a lot of memory and most things are cached.  Since
VMS doesn't cache this way, I suspect IDE would have a more deleterious 
effect there.

The current prices for Intraserver cards for various OS's are available
here: 

  http://www.intraserver-store.com/ultra2-lvd-scsi-adapters.html

where you'll find a ITI-6100U2 for OpenVMS and Tru64 for $300.00, which is
$80 more than the Linux/Intel/Alpha/Sparc, WNT, OS/2, etc. variants.  I
don't know what the difference between the cards is, if any.  Similar price
hikes for Compaq's own OS's apply for all intraserver cards.  Don't feel
bad though, the Solaris/Sparc variants cost even more!  Looks like the cost
of writing the driver is being amortized into the costs of the OS specific
boards. 

Just for kicks I tried to boot OpenVMS (7.2-1) from the CDROM on a DS10
with a Linux/ Alpha ITI-6100 card.  It complained that it didn't recognize
the SCSI adapter, which suggests that these cards return some sort of
special ID that the driver recognizes.  Maybe there are real differences
between these controllers other than that, or maybe its like the bad old
days, when VMS would only recognize "DEC" drives.  You know, the ones with
the firmware that changed the ID string, but not apparently anything else. 

It would be nice if Compaq just sent Intraserver a check to cover the 
driver development costs for its OS's.  Since they're reselling the cards
anyway, it could be part of that deal and in my book qualifies as an OS 
development cost.  

Other than the OpenVMS tax, I've been very pleased with the intraserver
controllers I've used.

Regards,

David Mathog
mathog@seqaxp.bio.caltech.edu
Manager, sequence analysis facility, biology division, Caltech