From: lmebold@sgcl1.unisg.ch
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: LAST TRY: Which SCSI-II-adaptor to use?
Date: 26 Jan 93 15:26:38 GMT
Organization: University of St.Gallen, Switzerland

Hi

After unsuccessfully searching for information about
EISA-SCSI-hostadaptors for two months this is my last try to get some 
knowlegdge about these controllers from the networld.

First to mention that I'm looking for an EISA-Fast-SCSI-II hostadaptor.
Also be aware that I'll use the hostadaptor with DOS/Windows during the
next months and later on in the WindowsNT environment (once NT is there).
Finally I plan to plug a Syquest and a CD-ROM to the SCSI-Interface soon.

I quickly summarize what information I got so far (It seems that every
hostadaptor has some kind of problem):

- Drivers:      Adaptec seems to have set the standard. Adaptec drivers
                are available for all devices.
                Furthermore there is ASPI (developed by Adaptec from 
                what I know) - having an ASPI driver for a controller
                means to be able to run any device wich supports ASPI;
                most of devices do so.
                Unfortunately I heard that not all hostadaptors which
                have an ASPI driver are fully compatible with that
                ASPI standard -> either some (ASPI supported) devices
                don't run at all or the controller has to be set in 
                kind of a compatibility mode loosing performance to 
                be able to run such (ASPI supported) devices.

                I was told that Adaptec drivers would only work up to
                16MB RAM. Can anyone confirm/denie this? If so: will
                there come drivers still working having more than
                16MB RAM?

- Adaptec 1742: This hostadaptor would be the 'standard'-controller.
                But: From the WindowsNT hardware compatibility list
                I know that some CD-ROM drives won't run together
                with the Adaptec set to enhanced mode. Why should I
                have a fast-scsi2-controller when I can't have it
                run in enhanced mode?
                Moreover I got to know that a special Adaptec driver
                is needed to run a Syquest. The media need to be
                formatted with a programm supplied from Adaptec (Note
                that usually a Syquest runs with just the driver
                provided from Syquest technologies). The way Adaptec
                goes has its disadvantages: One of the reasons why I
                want a Syquest is to exchange large data with friends.
                But a media formatted by Adaptec can't be read by a
                media formatted with another hostadaptor (using the
                driver provided from Syquest technologies) and vice
                versa. [You can't access the Syquest using the driver
                from Syquest with an Adaptec]

- Ultrastor 24f:I don't know much about this controller. But at least
                it's on the WindowsNT compatibility list. I wonder
                whether there is an ASPI-driver for this controller
                and if so whether it's fully ASPI compatible (see
                above: drivers).

- Future Domain:No idea about this one. Comments?

- Mylex:        Mylex seem to have quite fast hostadaptors (I'm also
                interested in the new controller which works without
                cache - (cached version is Mylex DCE376)).
                However the driver situation seems to be very bad.
                As far as I know there exist drivers for CD-ROM,
                Streamer,.. only for short time - and I suppose there
                aren't a lot of different ones. 
                It took Mylex half a year to provide drivers for OS/2.
                I'm afraid there could happen the same thing according
                to WindowsNT.
                I heard that there now would be an ASPI driver from 
                Mylex. True? fully compatible?

- AMI Fast Disk:The AMI Fast Disk Cache Controller doesn't support 
                FAST as far as I know. There is an ASPI-driver for
                this hostadaptor but I was told that performance
                would drop when using it. A dealer told me that it
                would run with the October-beta of WindowsNT.
              
                The new AMI Fast Disk NC hostadaptor is a controller
                without cache and it supports fast-scsi2. I was told
                there would be an ASPI-driver for that controller -
                is it fully compatible / will performance drop when
                using it?

- Bustek:       I heard that there would be a new Bustek-EISA-fast-
                SCSI-II hostadaptor which should be very fast. Does
                someone know about it?


To make one thing clear again: don't tell me that using an Adaptec/
ASPI driver with the hostadaptor doesn't use fully the performance
ability of a fast controller as far as the additional device is
concerned. I only want that the harddrive, although using an 
Adaptec/ASPI driver for another SCSI device (CDROM, Syquest,...), 
still can use full speed of the controller. So I just don't want
any performance loss according to the harddrive but I don't care
if other SCSI devices (CD-ROM, Syquest,...) aren't faster than with
any other controller.

I read in this newsgroup that Corel-SCSI wouldn't run with EISA -
how about that??


I want to go for an EISA-Fast-SCSI-II hostadaptor which offers great
throughput, which will run with WindowsNT (drivers ready when final
release is out or not more than two months later - I know that noone 
can guarantee...) and which offers a fully ASPI-compatible driver so
I can connect a Syquest and a CD-ROM.


Comments? Recommendations? Advice?

Any help will highly be appreciated.
             Thanks in advance
                         Luke

PS: I couldn't find any articles in PC-magazines neither do I have
    colleagues who would be able to answer my question. Calling a
    dealer asking about these things isn't usefull: everyone claims 
    to have the best hostadaptor (Adaptec, Mylex, AMI, Bustek, 
    Ultrastor, FutureDomain). According to that I learned that not
    everything dealers tell you must be true. So this is my last
    try to get some answers to my question. Hope I get some
    answers...

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware