#Tosh 3401 & Adap 1542
15 messages in this thread
Rob,
I hope the BusLogic caper turns out OK. I plan to order mine tomorrow. I'll
check around first and if no one is substantially under the dealer in San
Antonio, I'll go with them. Tax and all!
I got my new motherboard today. Panning in an image in Pucture Publisher is
snappier.
I'm unhappy with the STB VL24, though. It displays the images in PictPub
beautifully without dithering, but the title bar and the menu bar are double
height. I don't understand why they (all graphics card makers) will put stuff
out that's not right. It's an evaluation card and I'll probably give it right
back. I guess the Graphite will be next. But the Graphite is about twice as
expensive as the STB. 🙁
I'll check CompUSA and Computer City before I panic on the SCSI cables. Ever
seen a compact SCSI II terminator?
Cheers!
Dave McKeen
Dave,
Good luck with the BusLogic SCSI. I'll be anxious to hear how that goes.
That new motherboard sounds nice. I hope to get up to a VLB system before
_too_ long.
Graphics cards seem to be a large problem right now. It seems that writing
good drivers for windows is beyond the capability of most manufacturers. I
sure hope this stuff will get straightened out soon. I've seen messages
from quite a few people who seem to like the Graphite. It's only money <g>
No, I haven't seen a compact SCSI II terminator. Is that anything like
Terminator II ??? <gd&r>
-=Rob=-
Rob,
It looks like the motherboard with EISA slots on it is set up through a config
program rather than interrupting the boot sequence. The dealer didn't coach me
on it, and I'll have to figure it out. I can't even find where the spec for
the hard drive is!
I worked with an STB tech support guy on the phone today. He was surprised to
see for himself the problems I reported. I hope they will fix it soon, but who
knows? I wish Jim Carleton hadn't advised me that the 1 Mb Graphite wasn't up
to full acceleration. I'd have it now!
Terminator II? Wha??? <gd&r>?? 'S a new one on me. Thought I'd seen 'em
all!
Dave McKeen
Dave,
Configuring EISA systems is a bit more involved than ISA systems. There is
still a CMOS setup required, via the usual keystroke during boot sequence.
In addition, you must run an EISA configuration program, which is supplied
by the motherboard manufacturer. This configuration replaces the setting of
jumpers and switches on the motherboard _and_ for all EISA boards. I
strongly recommend that you make a bootable floppy disk and copy all the
EISA configuration programs and files to it. Then make another copy and
leave it inside the case. If you have a problem and can't find that disk,
you're SOL.
We seem to be in a period of much trouble with graphics cards these days.
It seems like almost all the producers are having great difficulty gettings
display systems to consistently work right with Windows. I missed the
information about the 1 Mb Graphite. What did Jim Carleton say the problem
was?
Could it be that Terminator II is like what I've been reading in WINNT forum
about double-terminating NEC CD-ROM drives? <g>
-=Rob=-
Rob,
Thanks for the tips on the EISA motherboard. I printed 'em out for
reference and will take your advice on the boot disk. Also, I've
printed out all the setup screens.
I goofed and missed the "Hit <Del>" message during bootup, but it's
there, alright. There were two books, one for the motherboard,
including the BIOS, and one for the AMI ECU. There was only one
disk, though, but I guess the slot 0 (The MB) .CFG is on that
floppy. I just haven't identified it.
I received my CorelSCSI today and ordered my BusLogic BT-445S and
Toshiba 1.2 Gb drive. 🙂 But I returned the STB VL-24. 🙁
The STB displayed images in Picture Publisher beautifully, but the
driver for 800 x 600 at 65K colors was so buggy I didn't want to keep
it. Their tech suport couldn't believe it when I walked them through
the problems on the phone. I'm told that the programmer does the
work at home then uploads to the company. Then they release it!
(Without an Alpha, or a Beta, it seems to me.)
Jim Carlton (I messed up the spelling before) said the Graphite 1Mb
wouldn't fully accelerate Windows to the potential of the IIT chip,
but the 2 Mb would. Now that I have tried STB twice and Diamond has
declared itself out (60 Hz max) I've requested info from Hercules
again. On their Graphite VL Pro and on their Dynamite. I have had
ATI cards for years, but don't like what I see in their forum on
their current stuff.
Did you say you saw Arnold in the WINNT forum? <g> I haven't been there since
around the time of the March beta release, when I realized NT would be too
demanding for my system. Now that I'm beefing my system up I think I'll
eavesdrop again. It's looking more and more like a fall retail release,
though.
BTW, I saw an amazing statement in the May 10 InfoWorld (page 72 box) that
said, "Typing <grin> after a comment is a time-honored way of expressing irony
or sarcasm in an on-line forum." I had always used it and interpreted it as an
honest, sincere, and happy smile. Have I been way off base and kinda naive?
Dave McKeen
Dave,
EISA configuration isn't all that difficult. I don't think you'll have much
trouble with it. Just read the screens carefully and check the available
options before you choose one. The motherboard is indeed addressed as slot
0, and does require the .CFG file on the floppy. One caution; if you get
any EISA bus-master cards, be careful which slot you put them in. Most
motherboards have some slots which are NOT bus masters.
I'll be very interested in how the BusLogic SCSI host works out. I can pick
up a VLB motherboard for about $150, and may do so if I have confidence I
can get video and SCSI to work well on it. My buddy already has one of
these VLB boards, and wants to get a SCSI host for it. I'll need to use the
SCSI for CD-ROM, tape drive and hard disk, so will be highly concerned with
compatibility.
This graphics card business is highly aggravating. I'm in the same boat as
you. Diamond is out of the running, ATI seems to have big problems as
well, and STB is the latest to drop out. Lets hope Hercules comes through.
Arnold who??? <g> The WINNT forum is becoming _most_ interesting. Your
system will be more than adequate to run NT, and the more I see about it,
the better I like it. I was able to play around with the March beta for
half an hour at a trade show this week, and talked to a guy from Microsoft
who seemed to know what he's doing. The software still has some rough
edges, but is very impressive anyway. It's looking more and more like NT
will be my next operating system.
I just found out yesterday that Microsoft is holding a seminar in Houston
(and probably other places) next Monday for the introduction of NT. Main
feature is CCTV of Bill Gates keynote address at Comdex/Windows World in
Atlanta. This is an all-day affair at a luxury hotel. Looks to me like MS
is determined to ship NT next month, come hell or high water. I still think
it's too soon. The product needs one more beta cycle to squash a few more
bugs, and a little more time to get more device drivers into the mix.
Yesterday I got a new issue of PC Magazine. Most of it is devoted to new
operating systems and new platforms. They cover NT, OS/2 2.1 and 5 flavors
of UNIX; as well as Pentium and 5 other platforms. Not bad for one issue.
The stuff on NT is very interesting. I still haven't found anything to make
me think I don't want it. The saga continues.
I disagree with Infoworld about <grin>. I use it just the same way you do,
and all the uses I've seen by others also fit that interpretation. Never
mind Infoworld.
Back to the wars,
-=Rob=-
Rob,
You're right about watching what EISA slot to use. My MB has three. It'll be
enough. Now I don't know what will go in any of them (except maybe an ISA
card)!
On the BusLogic, be sure to check with Don Parker, 76104,1010. He has the
BT-445S VLB adapter. He says he has a 3401, Iomega floptical, Bernouli 150, and
a Micropolis 560 Mb SCSI II hard drive attached to it. Convinced me! I ran
across him in the Corel forum. Someone else there said that BusLogic was
writing the native SCSI adapter support for NT.
I'm now looking for prices on an Orchid P9000/VLB card. Sandra
Whitley at 510-683-0371 will FAX you stuff on it. The 9000 has the
Weitek Power 9000 controller chip in it, (as does the Diamond Viper
VL, FWIW). Also am looking for prices on the Hercules Graphite VL
Pro, which is using the IIT chip Steve Gibson was raving about. Oscar
Castro at 800-532-0600 will FAX you a bunch of stuff about the
Graphite cards. CompUSA here will sell the Viper for $450.
Both cards have 2 Mb VRAM. The Orchid will do 800 x 600, 16.7 M
colors at 72 Hz and the Grpahite will, too, according to the
literature. After my experience with Diamond's specs, I called
Orchid tech support to hear the numbers verified by a technician. I
got through after a 3-4 min wait and had the numbers verified by
someone who sounded intelligent. I didn't check Hercules like that.
I went to a seminar like you're going to and was very impressed with
NT and wanted it *then*! I only stayed for the presentation, though,
and didn't mill around for all the peripheral stuff.
I'm releived that when y'all been <grinnin'> at me y'all haven't been
expressing 'irony or sarcasm'! <g>
Dave McKeen
Dave,
Don Parker sure sounds like a good person to consult about the BusLogic SCSI
adapter. I always like to get information from someone who has actually
used a product. I'll fire off a message to him.
I didn't know anything about the Orchid card. Sounds worth investigating.
I think I'll wait until NT hits the streets before making a move on the
video system. I expect device support in NT will be thin at first, and want
to be sure I get something supported in the first cut.
All this may be moot, though, if Novell or MS or somebody doesn't get busy
and produce Netware workstation software for NT that supports a wide range
of network cards. I won't be able to run NT until I can connect my NT
workstation to our Netware 3.11 network, using my SMC network card. Right
now, that's not supported by Novell's requester software. MS is saying it's
up to Novell to handle this. My guess is that Novell is _not_ anxious for
NT to be successful, and will drag their feet as long as possible. If they
do that, they'll make me even more mad at them than I already am.
I just got back from the MS seminar/announcement of NT. Unfortunately
I missed the CCTV of Bill Gates from Comdex, but others said he mostly
talked about very big company uses of NT. The only real news seems to have
been that MS intends to ship NT within 60 days, and there was no mention of
another beta release. There were a few exhibits by various vendors, which
were interesting. I talked to one guy who has developed SQL server software
for NT on multi-processor machines. Very slick. Only time will tell how
all this shakes out.
Back to the wars. No "irony or sarcasm" here. <g>
-=Rob=-
Rob,
I went through the stuff that came with the BT-445S and typed up two and a half
pages of questions. I FAXed them to Shane Jackson, sales at BusLogic who
handed them off to a technician, Edmond Lugar. I got the FAX back with the
questions answered right after lunch. I called Shane on a couple of the
questions I still didnt understand, and he patched me to Edmond who cleared it
all up.
The card had a defect on it, though, but IPI GrammTech is shipping me another
one with an RMA.
I've never plugged the card into my computer and already I can say the support
is good. The kind of support I got won't sand up to any kind of volume if
BusLogic catches fire, though.
I've never gotten into networking except as an end victim. We've got a
hodge-podge supporting 1500 PCs, 350 Macs, and lots of VAX terminals. The
network was down today, which I think is really irresponsible. No one running
the place is much of a computer weenie. The corporate guys are all wrapped in
their Macs and their Appletalk and can't see outside. If they did, they'd see
Amateur Hour being played out!
I think it's interesting (fun?) watching NT and Alpha unfold into the vicious
arena of the marketplace. I'm a Microsoft fan, but not a fanatic. I think
they've got plenty of dogs nipping at their heels so they have to bust 'em to
stay competitive. I hate to see the government getting involved, but Phillipe
Kahn and Ray Noorda don't mind, I'm sure. Scott McNeeley, either.
Who else? Manzi?
My big Toshiba drive should arrive tomorrow, when theory stops and reality
starts. I've got my mini-tower PC case ready with the SCSI (large) connectors
on it and a 50 conductor ribbon ready to route around inside. I'll clamp
50-pin connectors on the ribbon where I need them and terminate on the outside
of the box. If you see a mushroom shaped cloud from the 'Heart of Texas' in
the next couple of days, it might be coming from my place! <g>
Dave McKeen
Dave,
BusLogic sounds like a good company to deal with. Such companies seem to be
getting harder to find these days.
You guys have 1500 PC's plus Macs, and no _computer weenie_???? How in the
world do you get any work done? <g> I'm responsible for only 50 PC's (no Macs)
and these people can barely get along for a day if I'm gone. The network
pretty much runs itself now (no downtime in about 6 months), but most everyone
here can manage to make something not work on a regular basis. Who should I
send my resume to up there? (not kidding)
NT just keeps getting more interesting. I just read a major feature in
Infoworld last night. As far as I can tell so far, the architecture and design
of NT is extremely good. The only thing I can find missing so far is support
for mirrored servers to allow a maximum level of fault tolerance. I'm no
Microsoft fanatic either, but I think Ray Noorda ought to be scared silly right
now. Yesterday MS announced a _list_ price of $2,995 for NT Advanced Server,
which supports an unlimited number of users and includes the full functionality
of Lan Manager. Compare that with $12,000 for Netware 250 user. Add in the
fact that I can crash Netware in a heartbeat just by loading one NLM that does
something wrong, and where do you think that leaves Novell? Unless MS screws
up something badly, it looks to me like they're almost assured of success in
the operating system arena.
Have fun with that new Toshiba drive. I installed a 1.6 GB HP drive for a
client a while back, and it's real nice to have all that space available. I
learned one thing about big drives under DOS you might want to know. If you
make big partitions, DOS will give you very large cluster sizes, which I have
found to be undesirable. Unless you have a requirement for very large
partitions, I suggest making them 255 MB or less. That will give you a cluster
size of 4k. At 256 MB it switches to 8k clusters. With the kind of file size
mix I have seen in evaluating this issue, the 8k clusters will cost many
megabytes of capacity in small-file inefficiency.
I'll keep a lookout for that mushroom cloud <g>. If I see one up to the north,
I'll send in the cavalry. <bg>
-=Rob=-
Rob,
My Toshiba Gigadrive came in today. I have a learning experience ahead of me!
I spent the evening doing mechanical stuff. Stupid amount of time trimming
6-32 x 1/4" screws down to size!
Made up the ribbon cable that runs around the mini-case after finding out how
the 50-pin on the drive was oriented. Sure hope the pins on the CD-ROM are
oriented the same.
I meant none of our *bosses* (CEO, VPs, etc.) are computer enthusiasts. I'm
sure they know they depend on 'em, but that end of the business doesn't
interest then, so it suffers. Things are in BIG upheaval in IS now. I hope
sense prevails, but I think it is an accident when it does. I'll drop a couple
of key names in an e-mail msg.
Drafting on PCs is going in the AutoCAD direction. I saw an article in PC Week
today that said Autodesk was coming out with a hot version of AutoCAD for NT.
I mentioned that to an IS type and his response was "We're not looking at NT."
That's what I call just outright *stupid*. Arrggggh!!!
I was planning to divide the 1.2 Gb drive into 400 Mb or so partitions. I
didn't realize there was the big jump in sector size at 256 Mb. Gosh, and I
was going to take the partition out of my 360 IDE! Hmmm, I wonder if NT has
similar breaks?
BTW, do you know offhand what the length limit is for a total SCSI run? I may
be up against it.
Well, off to the races!
Dave McKeen
Dave,
I ran across the information we developed on disk space wasted with
different cluster sizes.
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Block size | 4,096 | 8,192 | 16,384 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Total # of Files | 17492 | 17492 | 17492 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Total Space Req'd | 572,353,624 | 572,353,624 | 572,353,624 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Blocks Required | 149,104 | 79,834 | 46,365 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Allocated Disk Space | 610,729,984 | 654,000,128 | 759,644,160 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|Total Wasted | 38,376,360 | 81,646,504 | 187,290,536 |
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
|% Disk Space Wasted | 6.71%| 14.27%| 32.72%|
+———————+————-+————-+————-+
This was for our network server, which was running a DOS based peer-to-peer
network. As you can see, a change from 4k ot 8k clusters would "cost" over
43 MB of usable space. Your mileage may vary. <g>
Let me know how it goes.
-=Rob=-
Rob,
Hey! Thanks for the neat chart! 🙂 It came through without getting
scrambled! This will come in handy. Looks like I'll be wasting 14.27% for a
while.
The first and second test of my SCSI hookup bombed. 🙁 On bootup, the system
went through what was on the bus, displayed the logo for the SCSI adapter then
froze. That was with the adapter's BIOS turned on then off. A fault LED on
the adapter blinked out some unintelligible code. I happened to have two SCSI
adapters, same type, and the behavior was the same with both.
I'll take the system to my clone doctor Tuesday. If I hear of any ideas I'll
try 'em out before going to the doctor.
I'm not too surprised. There's generally this black cloud hanging over my
head, and this was the day for lightning bolts to come out of it.
Dave McKeen
>My guess is that Novell is _not_ anxious for NT to be successful, and will
>drag their feet as long as possible. If they do that, they'll make me
>even more mad at them than I already am.
Seems to me they all play the same games, MS IMHO being the biggest culprit.
After all, MS has and continues to do everything it can to spike OS/2, by
crippling products so they don't run under OS/2 (VC++ for instance).
OTOH, why *should* Novell help their biggest rival to succeed? Since when has
the interests of the customer been an inportant issue with these people? <g>
Robin
Robin,
You are quite right about most vendors regard for their customers needs. I
continue to be aggravated at Novell because of their policy of not talking to
customers. They have decent support here on CI$, but sometimes you just need
to talk to someone on the phone. AutoDesk is the same way. I have told both
that if they continue to fail to meet my needs as a customer, I will take
advantage of the first opportunity to dump them. It looks like NT might turn
out to be the first opportunity to dump Novell. We'll see.
<<why *should* Novell help their biggest rival to succeed?
Because if they don't take care of their customers needs in a multi-vendor
world, the customers will find someone who will. Me first. <g>
-=Rob=-