Disk/Tape/SCSI From: anonymous
- Most SCSI disk drives work (IBM resells Maxtor, tested Wren 6&7 myself);
use osdisk when configuring (other SCSI disk).
- Exabyte: Unfortunately only the ones IBM sells are working.
A few other tape drives will work;
use ostape when configuring (other SCSI tape).
- STK 3480 "Summit": Works with Microcode Version 5.2b
>From: bell@hops.larc.nasa.gov (John Bell)
In summary, third party tape drives work fine with the RS/6000 unless
you want to boot from them. This is because IBM drives have 'extended
tape marks', which IBM claims are needed because the standard marks
between files stored on the 8mm tape are unreliable. These extended
marks are used when building boot tapes, so when the RS/6000 boots, it
searches for an IBM tape drive and refuses to boot without it.
>From: jrogers@wang.com (John Rogers)
On booting with non-IBM SCSI tape drives: I haven't tried it myself but
someone offered:
Turn machine on with key in secure position.
Wait until LED shows 200 and 8mm tape has stopped loading.
Turn key to service position.
>From: amelcuk@gibbs.clarku.edu (Andrew Mel'cuk)
The IBM DAT is cheap and works. If you get all the patches beforehand
(U407435, U410140) and remember to buy special "Media Recognition
System" tapes (Maxell, available from APS 800.443.4461 or IBM #21F8758)
the drive can even be a pleasure to use. You can also flip a DIP switch
on the drive to enable using any computer grade DAT tapes (read the
hardware service manual).
Other DAT drives also work. I have tried the Archive Python (works) and
experimented extensively with the Archive TurboDAT. The TurboDAT is a
very fast compression unit, is not finicky with tapes and doesn't
require the many patches that the IBM 7206 does. Works fine with the
base AIX 3.2 'ost' driver.
>From: pack@acd.ucar.edu (Daniel Packman)
>>You can boot off of several different brands of non-IBM Exabytes.
>>At least TTI and Contemporary Cybernetics have done rather complete
>>jobs of emulating genuine IBM products.
A model that has worked for us from early AIX 3.1 through 3.2 is a TTI
CTS 8210. This is the old low density drive. The newer 8510 is dual
density (2.2gig and 5gig). Twelve dip switches on the back control the
SCSI address and set up the emulation mode. These drives have a very
useful set of lights for read-outs (eg, soft error rate, tape remaining,
tape motion, etc.).
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