CompuServe Messages

Tony, There are several different methods of terminating a SCSI bus. One is passive termination, which is the type that most people are familiar with, another is active termination. Active termination is a more complex terminator, with the advantage of adapting itself to the current bus condition. Passive termination, as the name implys, just sits there doing it's job, but tuned for the average case. Problem is, the average case doesn't really exist. There are other termination methods, a particularly significant one is 'forced perfect termination' promoted and used by IBM drives. While the termination method seems to work well, it does not appear to be compatable with other termination methods, or most SCSI interface chips. It was not, to my knowledge, ever condoned by the standards commitee. For that reason, I do not recommend using IBM drives with the 4091.