[Info-vax] Buying disk for a DS10

[Rich Jordan]

On Feb 24, 10:26 am, tadamsmar <tadams... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Our database machine is running out of space.
>
> I want to buy new disks for a DS10, not refurbs.
>
> NEWEGG lists some Ultra320 80 pin drives.  Will those work?
>
> The DS10 came drives specified as Ultra3 (U160) SCSI on the label.
>
> I wonder if I can get new drives with the right interface.
>
> These are non-shadowed drives, so I want reliable drives.

Please elucidate.  How big are your current drives and how much larger
do you need to go?   Internal drives or external?  If internal are
they front access 'universal' drives or truly inside the box?  How are
they connected; local SCSI cabling to a PCI adapter?  Which adapter?
Is it a backplane RAID controller like a SmartArray or just a SCSI
interface card?

If the drives are external, again, how are they connected, and what
kind of enclosure?  Are they in carriers of some kind?

On a most basic wild guess that you have a minimal config; I have
generic 73GB Ultra320 LVD disks with SCA connectors in use inside a
DS10 with a KZPEA (dual channel U160) controller.  The internal
cabling is all 68 pin, and generic 68 pin to 80 pin SCA adapter boards
are used to connect the drives.  These same adapters would NOT work
with Seagate 73GB (ST973401LC) 2.5" drives (SCA connector, U320 rated
10KRPM) internally, but the drives work perfectly in an external SCSI
cage with carriers that allows a direct SCA plug-in, connected to the
same KZPEA controller.

The U320 drives will operate at U160 bus transfer rates with a KZPEA
controller, or U80 rates with a KZPCA, or even slower with older
controllers.