I want to run a Corvette Turbo in a 95a. Unfortunately, the disk often
stops during operation and then starts up again.

The hard disk is a Fujitsu MA3367NC with 36,7GB, reduced to 4GB capacity
in order to be used as a system disk. It works flawless in an other
system. I use a SCA to wide SCSI adapter with this disk.

To make sure it is not a SCSI configuration error, I tried installing NT
4.0. Just before writing the startup configuration files, the hard disk
stopped and then started up again. If it was an error in the SCSI
configuration, I would not have gotten this far.

The current firmware is C6. According to the Ardent Tool C9 is the
latest firmware revision. Suprisingly the upgrade tool claims that C6 is
a more recent revision than C9 and refuses to write C9 to the Corvette
Turbo.

Has anyone ever had similar experiences with SCSI hard drives that stop
during operation and then start up again?

Does anyone have an idea how I can bring the firmware to revision C9?

Regards

Wolfgang

You are running with scissors.

Corvette Turbo, means the C9 should support the DFW hardware.

Not so sure about the Intel vs Power flavors. Never seen any exploration
of what, if any difference, that would make.

Startup configuration files... Do you mean the System convenience
partition, or do you mean NT 4.0 system configuration?

Stop then start up? Any power saving stuff on the HD? Is this the lone
HD? I >assume< you don't have ancient 5.25" SCSI drives that suck power
like mad...

Huh, from my DIMM memories, NT 4.0 boot partition has a 2GB limit, due
to NT 4.0 disk setup using FAT to initially partition the HD, then that
partition is then converted to NTFS. Possumbly, NT install probes the
physical geometry and chokes?

I once pursued >2GB boot, it can be done if you boot an NT 4.0 SP6a
system, configure the target HD as NTFS, then take the >4GB boot disk
off, install it in it's own system, then install NT 4.0 on it. A few
years ago, so I don't remember details.

Wolfgang Gehl wrote:
> I want to run a Corvette Turbo in a 95a. Unfortunately, the disk often
> stops during operation and then starts up again.
>
> The hard disk is a Fujitsu MA3367NC with 36,7GB, reduced to 4GB capacity
> in order to be used as a system disk. It works flawless in an other
> system. I use a SCA to wide SCSI adapter with this disk.
>
> To make sure it is not a SCSI configuration error, I tried installing NT
> 4.0. Just before writing the startup configuration files, the hard disk
> stopped and then started up again. If it was an error in the SCSI
> configuration, I would not have gotten this far.
>
> The current firmware is C6. According to the Ardent Tool C9 is the
> latest firmware revision. Suprisingly the upgrade tool claims that C6 is
> a more recent revision than C9 and refuses to write C9 to the Corvette
> Turbo.
>
> Has anyone ever had similar experiences with SCSI hard drives that stop
> during operation and then start up again?
>
> Does anyone have an idea how I can bring the firmware to revision C9?
>
> Regards
>
> Wolfgang
>

Run advanced diags, test the DFW -AND- the SCA HD.

Louis Ohland wrote:
> You are running with scissors.
>
> Corvette Turbo, means the C9 should support the DFW hardware.
>
> Not so sure about the Intel vs Power flavors. Never seen any exploration
> of what, if any difference, that would make.
>
>
> Startup configuration files... Do you mean the System convenience
> partition, or do you mean NT 4.0 system configuration?
>
> Stop then start up? Any power saving stuff on the HD? Is this the lone
> HD? I >assume< you don't have ancient 5.25" SCSI drives that suck power
> like mad...
>
> Huh, from my DIMM memories, NT 4.0 boot partition has a 2GB limit, due
> to NT 4.0 disk setup using FAT to initially partition the HD, then that
> partition is then converted to NTFS. Possumbly, NT install probes the
> physical geometry and chokes?
>
> I once pursued >2GB boot, it can be done if you boot an NT 4.0 SP6a
> system, configure the target HD as NTFS, then take the >4GB boot disk
> off, install it in it's own system, then install NT 4.0 on it. A few
> years ago, so I don't remember details.
>
> Wolfgang Gehl wrote:
>> I want to run a Corvette Turbo in a 95a. Unfortunately, the disk often
>> stops during operation and then starts up again.
>>
>> The hard disk is a Fujitsu MA3367NC with 36,7GB, reduced to 4GB
>> capacity in order to be used as a system disk. It works flawless in an
>> other system. I use a SCA to wide SCSI adapter with this disk.
>>
>> To make sure it is not a SCSI configuration error, I tried installing
>> NT 4.0. Just before writing the startup configuration files, the hard
>> disk stopped and then started up again. If it was an error in the SCSI
>> configuration, I would not have gotten this far.
>>
>> The current firmware is C6. According to the Ardent Tool C9 is the
>> latest firmware revision. Suprisingly the upgrade tool claims that C6
>> is a more recent revision than C9 and refuses to write C9 to the
>> Corvette Turbo.
>>
>> Has anyone ever had similar experiences with SCSI hard drives that
>> stop during operation and then start up again?
>>
>> Does anyone have an idea how I can bring the firmware to revision C9?
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Wolfgang
>>

Am 02.10.22 um 22:48 schrieb Louis Ohland:
> Run advanced diags, test the DFW -AND- the SCA HD.
>

Advanced diags ran the test without error message, although the disk
stopped and restarted once during the test. Advanced diags outputs
revision C9 as DFW firmware. Strange.

I have exchanged the Fujitsu hard disk for an IBM DCHS. It is much
slower than the Fujitsu but it runs without stopping.

The Fujitsu works fine with the SCA to wide SCSI adapter on an Adaptec
PCI ultra wide SCSI host adapter. I thought that Low-Voltage
Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.

DFW seems to have a problem of some kind. I am curious how long the DCHS
runs error-free.

>> I thought that Low-Voltage
>> Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.
Indeed, they are. Controller and drive 'handshakes' capabilities on startup.. Guess its power related, as Louis mentioned, or a bad drive/cabling/termination. I'd try to find out the power consumption on the +5v and +12v rails on both drives to get a first clue.

Wolfgang Gehl schrieb am Montag, 3. Oktober 2022 um 23:18:45 UTC+2:
> Am 02.10.22 um 22:48 schrieb Louis Ohland:
> > Run advanced diags, test the DFW -AND- the SCA HD.
> >
> Advanced diags ran the test without error message, although the disk
> stopped and restarted once during the test. Advanced diags outputs
> revision C9 as DFW firmware. Strange.
>
> I have exchanged the Fujitsu hard disk for an IBM DCHS. It is much
> slower than the Fujitsu but it runs without stopping.
>
> The Fujitsu works fine with the SCA to wide SCSI adapter on an Adaptec
> PCI ultra wide SCSI host adapter. I thought that Low-Voltage
> Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.
>
> DFW seems to have a problem of some kind. I am curious how long the DCHS
> runs error-free.

On Monday, October 3, 2022 at 7:24:33 PM UTC-4, schimmi wrote:
> >> I thought that Low-Voltage
> >> Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.
> Indeed, they are. Controller and drive 'handshakes' capabilities on startup. Guess its power related, as Louis mentioned, or a bad drive/cabling/termination. I'd try to find out the power consumption on the +5v and +12v rails on both drives to get a first clue.
> Wolfgang Gehl schrieb am Montag, 3. Oktober 2022 um 23:18:45 UTC+2:
> > Am 02.10.22 um 22:48 schrieb Louis Ohland:
> > > Run advanced diags, test the DFW -AND- the SCA HD.
> > >
> > Advanced diags ran the test without error message, although the disk
> > stopped and restarted once during the test. Advanced diags outputs
> > revision C9 as DFW firmware. Strange.
> >
> > I have exchanged the Fujitsu hard disk for an IBM DCHS. It is much
> > slower than the Fujitsu but it runs without stopping.
> >
> > The Fujitsu works fine with the SCA to wide SCSI adapter on an Adaptec
> > PCI ultra wide SCSI host adapter. I thought that Low-Voltage
> > Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.
> >
> > DFW seems to have a problem of some kind. I am curious how long the DCHS
> > runs error-free.
I would suspect the Hard drive in itself has problems.... Try a different hard drive... Before anything...else
sometimes the Donkey cannot carry the load... I have had lots and lots of hard drive problems and very , very few controller problems
drives fail all of the time,,, controllers ,,,,Not so often. Often the larger the hard drive the larger the problem...
Do you remember the plate spinners on ED Sullivan.... LOL

Hummm. Corvette Turbo is SE on the inner port, DIF on the outer port.

Praytell, WHICH DFW port are you flogging this SCA drive with?

richard smice wrote:
> The Fujitsu works fine with the SCA to wide SCSI adapter on an Adaptec
> PCI ultra wide SCSI host adapter. I thought that Low-Voltage
> Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.

https://www.ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/SCSI-DFW.html

The SCSI-2 Differential Fast/Wide Adapter/A supports an internal
single-ended and an external differential SCSI bus.

https://www.ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/IBM_SCSI2_Chipset.html#Malibu_Problems

Louis Ohland wrote:
> Hummm. Corvette Turbo is SE on the inner port, DIF on the outer port.
>
> Praytell, WHICH DFW port are you flogging this SCA drive with?
>
> richard smice wrote:
>> The Fujitsu works fine with the SCA to wide SCSI adapter on an Adaptec
>> PCI ultra wide SCSI host adapter. I thought that Low-Voltage
>> Differential SCSI was backward compatible with Fast SCSI.

Am 04.10.22 um 21:02 schrieb Louis Ohland:
> https://www.ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/SCSI-DFW.html
>
>  The SCSI-2 Differential Fast/Wide Adapter/A supports an internal
> single-ended and an external differential SCSI bus.
>
> https://www.ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/IBM_SCSI2_Chipset.html#Malibu_Problems
>
> Louis Ohland wrote:
>> Hummm. Corvette Turbo is SE on the inner port, DIF on the outer port.
>>
>> Praytell, WHICH DFW port are you flogging this SCA drive with?
>>

I have found the fault. It was a defective power cable extension. Now
the system runs and thanks to the Fujitsu hard drive quite fast for a
90MHz machine and also quieter than with the IBM DCHS. Thanks a lot for
your help!

@Louis
The disk is running on the SE wide SCSI port. I don't think it will last
long on the DFW port.

@Schimmi
Your reference to power consumption put me on the right track. Thanks
for that!

@Richard
After another drive ran fine, I was left with only the SCA-to-Wide-SCSI
adapter and the power cable as sources of failure. Fortunately I have
enough spare parts.