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From: MACALLSTR@vax1.physics.oxford.ac.UK
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: TA78/HSC50 controller drop-outs : does someone (DEC?) have a patch to fix?
Message-ID: <8711270012.AA28491@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Thu, 26-Nov-87 19:13:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8711270012.AA28491
Posted: Thu Nov 26 19:13:04 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Nov-87 17:50:59 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 19

We have a serious problem with our TA78 tape drives on an HSC50. I'm
 sending this message in the hope that someone else has experienced
 the problem and has or knows of a fix.
We have a VAX8700 + HSC50 + TA78with four TU78 drives.
Problem: high error rates from any one tape drive can cause the controller
 to drop out and become disconnected from the HSC50 - thus losing ALL the
 drives with disastrous results for the other processes using them!
DEC (UK) tell me this is a known problem ( and has been for a long time ) and
 that a new version of HSC50 microcode will be released in about four months'
 time. I asked if we could have a patch ( as is usually possible with most
 DEC products when serious problems are encountered ) but was told by our
 Field Service branch that this would not be possible. I think that is
 not a satisfactory response to a problem that I am able to reproduce, has
 been known to DEC for some time and must be affecting many of DEC's
 customers.
So... if anyone from DEC is listening PLEASE may I have a patch to fix this
 particular problem? !!
Hopefully...,
 John