[Info-vax] Alphaserver 1000A with external BA356 enclosure - 16 bit issues

[Richard B. Gilbert]

On 10/14/2011 4:47 PM, ChrisQ wrote:
> On 10/14/11 06:49, Hans Vlems wrote:
>> On Oct 14, 12:05 am, Hans Bachner<H... at Bachner.priv.at> wrote:
>>> urbancamo<m... at wickensonline.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>> <snip>> I have an Alphaserver 1000A working nicely with an external
>>> BA356 SCSI
>>>> disk enclosure via an 8-bit personality module. It is connected via an
>>>> NCR 53C810 based SCSI card.
>>> <snip>
>>>> If I try and use a 16-bit personality module connected to a KZPBA-CX
>>>> QLogic card via a 68 pin external SCSI cable it doesn't work. I've
>>>> tried two different 16-bit personality modules and two different
>>>> cables (a right-angled and straight in cable - my understanding is
>>>> that the right angled-cable is the one I should be using)
>>>
>>>> When connected 16 bit I get the following error message on boot:
>>>> waiting for pkc0.7.0.2004.0 to poll...
>>>
>>> <snip>
>>>
>>> Did you check the termination switch pack (S4) settings on the
>>> personality module? That's the block of four dip switches close to the
>>> cable connectors. Switch 1 (in a single bus configuration) should be
>>> on/closed to terminate the SCSI bus end.
>>>
>>> Hans.
>>
>> Yes, that's the first thing to check. I could not quite figure out
>> from the OP whether
>> the NCR card was removed and the Qlogic KZPBA-CX replaced it or that
>> the Qlogic
>> was added to the system.
>> In the latter case disks connect to the Qlogic card will have another
>> controller letter
>> (DKDn00 or something). Even if the Qlogic replaced the NCR card but
>> was placed in another
>> slot then the controller id might change.
>> The real problem may be in the personality module though. The
>> dipswitch settings must be
>> set exactly right otherwise weird things happen.
>> With the Qlogic KZPBA-CX in place, what is the output of>>> SHOW
>> DEVICES
>>
>> Hans
>
> One thing to note is that you should never connect hvd conrollers to lvd
> drives, or interfaces, as the line receivers at the far end can be damaged.
> Fwir, hvd is a 5 volt interface, while lvd is 3.3 volt and the 3.3 are
> not 5 volt tolerant.

ISTR that High Voltage Differential was something like 12-15 Volts
while LVD was 5 Volts.
>
> You should be able to tell from the part numbers what is what. Tread
> carefully...

You should also NEVER hand a sack of drives (tape or disk) to a junior 
geek with instructions to "install these drives in Systems A, B, C . . . Z.

I was new on the job and, one morning, was given a hand truck loaded 
with boxed tape drives and instructed to install one of these drives on 
each of the machines on this list.

The carnage was unbelievable!  Some of the drives were HVD and some were 
LVD/Single Ended.  The guy who ordered them was not available for 
reasons I don't recall.

I seem to recall hearing that future drives would use incompatible
connectors for "Single Ended or Low Voltage Differential" and "High 
Voltage Differential".  I don't know if it was ever done.  It would
would have saved a good deal of time and money.