DPT controller?

[Conor P. Cahill]

rbt at tous.uucp (Robert B. Tate) writes:

>I am planning to install a DPT SmartCache (ESDI) disk controller with 4.5
>megs of cache this weekend (with a PRIAM ID330-E (model 638) 338Meg
>Does anyone know _anything_ I sould know?

1. Each disk drive must be formatted by the DPT formatter (even if you already
   formatted it with another formatter).

2. Since the controller is not a write thru cache (and that is why it is 
   so fast), you should have an uninterruptible power supply. 

3. When you reboot the machine, be sure to wait for the disks to quiet (after
   seeing the "press any key to reboot") before turning off the machine or
   pressing any key.  If you don't wait, the last bunch of writes that were
   performed by the OS will not occur.

   NOTE that this restriction applies to any kind of reboot, including one
   caused by a panic.

>FYI: 
>Under MS-DOS, the disk & controller look VERY fast! (I hope it is as fast
>under UNIX. When TOUS is baching up outgoing news, it takes for *ever*

It is very fast under unix also (until you fill up the cache, then it 
is about average).  In other words, compiles or processing news screams,
but a dd from /dev/rdsk/0s0 to /dev/null is actually slightly slower than
the same command on a system with a WD1007 ESDI controller. 
-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.
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