NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/os/linux/21764

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-26 | 3.4 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!olivea!mintaka.lcs.mit.edu!ai-lab!life.ai.mit.edu!burley
From: [e-mail] (Craig Burley)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux
Subject: Help Phoenix/EISA/AHA-174x User Go Enhanced!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 26 Dec 92 08:31:10 GMT
Organization: Free Software Foundation 545 Tech Square Cambridge, MA 02139
Lines: 66
NNTP-Posting-Host: apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu

Having just upgraded my system to SLS 0.99, I now find that the boot disk
created during the install process, containing the Linux 0.99 kernel,
no longer supports my EISA SCSI board in Standard mode by doing 512-byte
transfers (to avoid the bug in the board when doing 1024-byte transfers).

So, to continue getting work done, I need to reconfigure my SCSI board
to run in Enhanced mode (and upgrade my DOS drivers, presumably).

But, the "AHA-174X Family Configuration and Download Utilities" book
and disks refers to a "bootable configuration diskette...normally supplied
by the EISA system vendor", which I don't seem to have (probably it wasn't
delivered when I received the system).

Could someone with an EISA configuration like mine, especially someone
who has succeeded switching their AHA-174x from Standard to Enhanced mode
to support 0.99 (and get better disk performance), please consider
emailing or ftp'ing me a (uuencoded?) image of their "bootable
configuration diskette"?  I have the AHA-174X diskettes with the .CFG
files, but can't seem to get to where I can use those without this
bootable diskette.  I'm primarily using 3.5" disks, but perhaps can boot
off of 5.25" if there's a reason I have to try (advice would be helpful
if you have to supply 5.25").

Of course, Monday or Tuesday I'll call my vendor and see if he's got the
disk(s) floating around there (I'm also missing my BIOS and EISA documentation,
assuming there is such a thing), but for all I know, his shop is closed
for this week, and certainly for this weekend, and I'd rather not be so
dead in the water!

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!  My configuration is enclosed
below, in case you want the details.

Of course, if someone has other advice, like how to switch to enhanced mode
using DOS DEBUG or something equally fun, I'd love to hear it!  I have no
software specs for the Adaptec, so I can't make this stuff up myself.  :-)

--------
Central stuff:
    Tower case w/8 drive bays and 250-watt power supply
    Intel 32-bit 80486 CPU @33MHz
    Micronics EISA motherboard w/8 EISA slots and 64KB cache RAM standard
    Support for Weitek 4167-33 math co-processor (no chip yet)
    Phoenix 80486/EISA ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.01.22-2
    16MB RAM, @70ns?
    2 serial ports, 1 parallel port

Peripherals:
    Adaptec AHA-1740 SCSI-2 controller (BIOS v1.34)
    Maxtor PO-12S 1.2GB SCSI-2 hard drive
    A: 3.5" (1.44MB) internal floppy
    B: 5.25" (1.2MB) internal floppy
    Colorado Jumbo 250 tape drive (thru floppy interface, I think)

Hard Drive Partitioning:
    64MB DOS, 807MB Linux extfs, 62MB Linux, 64MB Linux

Wetware Interface:
    Sigma Designs L-View 1664x1200 120dpi 4-gray-scale monitor & card
    Northgate Computer Systems' OmniKey/101 (modified so CTRL to left of
        "A", CAPS LOCK left of SPC, etc)
    Standard Technologies Mouse (switchable Microsoft/Mouse system)
    Howtek Scanmaster (not hooked up yet)
--

James Craig Burley, Software Craftsperson    [e-mail]
Member of the League for Programming Freedom (LPF) [e-mail]