Re: IBM PC ServeRAID Cards and AIX

chrisg_at_warpspeed.com.au
Date: 08/30/05

  • Next message: Basil Holloway: "AIX & P2P Workgroup" 
    Date: 29 Aug 2005 18:11:17 -0700

    Tim Clarke wrote:
    > Hi Chris...
    >
    > <chrisg@warpspeed.com.au> wrote in message
    > news:1125287003.001166.253110@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
    > > Just a FYI for those of you who might find this information useful.
    > >
    > > I have an IBM RS/6000 Model 43P-140.
    > >
    > > I pulled an IBM ServeRAID Card (not the II or 3L or other types) from a
    > > working Intel PC Server (actually, an IBM PC Server 704) and put it
    > > into the '140.
    > >
    > > I installed AIX 4.3.3 (.0) onto the box.
    > >
    > > The card **WAS** recognised and AIX reports it as an 'IBM PCI SCSI
    > > Raid' card in the smit menus.
    > >
    > > Given the cheap prices of these older raid cards on eBay, I thought
    > > that some may find this information useful.
    > >
    > > Pitty the 140 can't fit too many disks in it though.
    >
    > As I've just won
    > http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5802608442 and
    > have been messing around with cross-referencing the "old" (i.e. unsupported
    > by IBM/Lenovo) MCA/PCI PC Server and RS/6000 adapters and their exchange
    > between OS/2 and AIX-based systems (site to come "soon"). This is good news,
    > thanks. Most of the IBM RAID adapters are "supported" by a common access
    > mechanism (i960 or Power chip on-adapter, with microcode loading from the
    > host) so, if one flavour (e.g. CopperStone ServeRAID I) is supported, then
    > in theory, all *can* be, given the microcode loader and BIN images.

    Hmmm. I could use that box. Pitty though. I shudded to think what it
    would have cost me to get it here to Australia... 80Kg (about 200lbs).
    Ouch.

    Anyway, I have some more good news.

    The model 140 uses the SYMBios/LSI Logic 53C825 (never heard of the
    825, but there it was in the device list...). Anyway, it is obviously
    part of the 8xx series, so it was just a matter how far up the line the
    drivers would support.

    The driver for the 825 was listed as an 875, so we sould be safe until
    there.

    I added PELogic card, which uses the 53C895 (SCSI Ultra-2/LVD). (The
    card must be an OEM version of the LSI Cards, as I was sucessfully able
    to flash the old PELogic bios with the newest LSILogic bios and the
    card works fine). I reinstalled AIX 4.3.3 and it was added, via another
    driver. So the 895 is supported. Great this gives us Ultra-2/LVD
    support for 80Mb/Sec. The only thing that I've noticed is that the
    disks attached to this are listed as non bootable.

    One odd thing/warning though: The SMS menu would show an error: "Failed
    to Boot" when you attempted to display the Config menu on the 34P-140.
    An odd error to give, given that I was only trying to display the menu
    to see how the machine recognised the card. Anyway, it still managed to
    boot from CD-ROM to install AIX and then boot off the disks attached to
    the integrated SCSI controller.

    Can anyone comment on this as to why? Are you limited to supporting
    bootable disks only on the integrated adaptec, or is it something
    specific about the card. Or any card that is not integrated?

    I also tried an Adaptec 2940-UW for a MAC. It hung the machine. But the
    card itself may be toast.

    I might try a few other Adaptec cards tonight (before I press this
    machine into real service).

    You mention above the intel i960. I've got some of those on some DAC
    960's that I have. They were by produced by Mylex (again, now LSILogic
    - insestuous itsn't it???). Mylex (at the time as least) was listed as
    an IBM company, so I might even get support for those cards as well.

    I'll report back tomorrow how I went, if I get a chance to play
    tonight.

    -Chris

  • Next message: Basil Holloway: "AIX & P2P Workgroup"

    Relevant Pages

    • [patch 000/176] Video4Linux Updates
      ... Support for em28xx based usb2 boards; ... -Don't enable gpioirq until after card probe. ... -Some changes to allow compiling cx88 and saa7134 without ... -Fixed settings for MSI Vox USB 2.0 ...
      (Linux-Kernel)
    • Re: Help needed in rec.audio.pro
      ... > Rewire you can add even more to your environment (like Reason, FL Studio, ... Linux also has LADSPA and some VST's work as well. ... I have that card (sblive! ... Emu support seems to exist now. ...
      (comp.os.linux.misc)
    • Re: Help needed in rec.audio.pro
      ... > Rewire you can add even more to your environment (like Reason, FL Studio, ... Linux also has LADSPA and some VST's work as well. ... I have that card (sblive! ... Emu support seems to exist now. ...
      (alt.os.linux)
    • Re: [SLE] Yes I am bitter.
      ... Linux since November") purely because his graphics card isn't supported ... needs a rethink of priorities. ... any more ATI cards until the Linux support is up to par. ...
      (SuSE)
    • Re: MCE 2006 Wish List
      ... Yep - and almost all of the radio channels available with a Sky Digital ... DVB-S card to receive them without an analogue link in the chain! ... The lack of support for these transmission systems ...
      (microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter)