Xref: utzoo comp.os.vms:16724 comp.sys.dec:1653
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!sunybcs!canisius!elgie
From: elgie@canisius.UUCP (Bill Elgie)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Emulex QD32 - VMS Woes
Keywords: QD32, VMS, QBus
Message-ID: <2433@canisius.UUCP>
Date: 12 Aug 89 19:20:31 GMT
References: <16814@ut-emx.UUCP>
Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo N.Y. 14208
Lines: 38

In article <16814@ut-emx.UUCP>, mike@ut-emx.UUCP (Mike O'Donnell) writes:
> 
> We have a MicroVAX II with an Emulexe QD32 controller and 2-Fujitsu
> M2361A drives (super eagles).  I have heard some rumors that I would
> like to verify.
> First, there is apparently a hardware priority conflict between the
> Emulex board and other boards on the Q Bus that has caused some
> fatal bug checks to be generated by VMS.  Second, I heard something about
> problems with this controller when VMS 5.x is installed.  Any info on
> this?
> 
  I tried to reply by direct mail, since this was a topic last year and I was
  simply going to repeat my own experience.

  We used 2 QD32's in each of our 2 Microvax II's, each servicing a Fuji M2333K
  drive.  When we upgraded to Ultrix 2.0 we saw a 40% drop in disk i/o through-
  put.

  After playing around for some time, we came to the conclusion that the prob-
  lem lay in the QD32's.  This began a protracted and time-consuming 7-month
  effort to resolve the problem with Emulex and the dealer we had purchased the
  controllers from.  

  Emulex denied the problem for a long time.  Ultimately, I was told by a more
  high-level person (Jim Erickson, I believe) that there was some sort of tim-
  ing problem related to the relative slowness of the controller's MSCP emu-
  lation.  After that, I was bounced back and forth between apx. 10 people at
  Emulex and the distributor, each promising that a "deal" on a trade-in was
  to be granted me momentarily but with no actual results.  

  I finally realized that no one had any intention of actually doing anything.
  So I invoked our attorney and the "deal" was consummated 3 weeks later.
  I received full credit on the purchase price of the QD32's towards the cost
  of 4 Dilog DQ256's.  The Dilog was recommended to me, as a properly function-
  ing alternative, by several of the Emulex people that I had talked to.

  greg pavlov (under borrowed account), fstrf, amherst, ny.
  tel: 716-834-0900