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