Re: [OT] SCSI Primer
On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 16:58:14 -0600
Jacob S <stormspotter@6Texans.net> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a good tutorial with pictures and descriptions of
> the different connectors, explaining what can inter-operate with what
> advantages and disadvantages, etc? My googling has been fairly futile
> so far.
I don't know of any general documentation, and SCSI is not my specialty.
Having said that I do have some limited experience.
Microsoft has a document floating around on their site somewhere
indicating that a chain of SCSI devices will operate at the speed of the
slowest device in the chain. Whether that is a SCSI limitation or an MS
limitation I don't know for sure.
The best source for compatibility information will probably be the
documentation for on board SCSI, the raid card, and the back plane. I am
not familiar with back planes, but a quick google for information, the
thing that jumps out is it looks like some support hot plugging while
others don't.
In general terms, there are efforts to maintain some backwards
compatibility as new generations of stuff come out, so there are lots of
different adapters to hook older devices to newer style connectors and
newer devices to older style connectors, which takes you back the the
slowest device on the chain question.
What I personally have experience with is mostly adaptec cards with a
variety of hard drives, the occasional scanner, cd-rom drive, burner or
zip drive.
Mostly I have had pretty good luck mixing and matching stuff with
various combinations, drives with 50 and 68 pin connectors on a cable
with 50 pin connectors, drives with 50 and 68 pin connectors on a cable
with 68 pin connectors, and drives with 80 and 68 pin connectors on a
cable with 68 pin connectors.
I have not had a card with 80 pin connectors to play with.
I don't have experience with raid, but the general wisdom I have read is
to use drives that are exactly that same if you can, or if you can't
then as closely matched as possible.
Later, Seeker
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