From: mike@agrijag.UUCP (Mike Schiller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Minor Annoyances with SyQuest drive
Date: 20 Aug 92 07:50:34 GMT
Organization: Not an Organization
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16e (7/4/92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith

In article <1992Aug10.210243.28806@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wbennett@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (William F Bennett) writes:
>
>
> >In article <Chuck_Andreas.0vgm@lhaven.UUmh.Ab.Ca>
> >Chuck_Andreas@lhaven.UUmh.Ab.Ca (Chuck Andreas) writes:
> >> I've just hooked up an external SyQuest 88 MB drive to my A3000.  I've
> >> found there must be a cartridge in the SyQuest to allow booting the
> >> computer.  Is there a way around this short of disconnecting the unit?
> >> Also, is there some way to avoid having the hard disk light on the
> >> computer flash every second or so?  I've changed SCSI IDs so that the
> >> internal hard drive has a lower number than the SyQuest but this made no
> >> difference.
> >>
> >> Just wanting confirmation that I'm not overlooking anything minor that
> >>might fix these minor annoyances..
> >>
> >>-- Via DLG Pro v0.992
> >>
> >> Preferred: Chuck_Andreas@LHaven.UUmh.AB.CA
> >> Alternate: Chuck_Andreas@f3002.n134.z1.fidonet.org
> >>
> >
> >If I don't plan to use my Syquest durring a session, I don't power it up and
> >my A3000 will boot just fine. If, however, the Syquest is hooked up and
> >powered up, then it MUST have a cartridge spun up for the 3000 to boot. Why
> >this is, I do not know. Macs aren't like that. In fact, the Amiga running
> >A-Max Mac emulation isn't like that -- I can reboot the Mac emulation with
> >or without a cartridge in the Syquest, so it's an OS thing. It is annoying
> >and if anyone ever comes up with a patch, that'd be great.
> >
> >--geoff
> >
> >gpotts@hebb.uoregon.edu

This is NOT true. If a SyQuest hooked up to a 3000 doesn't have a cartridge
in the drive you can still boot the machine, it's just that the A3000 will
poll the drive for 30 seconds before deciding that the drive is dead and
continuing on to the rest of the drive IDs. While I always try to have a
cartridge in the drive when I boot, I've also booted my system MANY times
without one in the machine. This is true of ANY removable media device
hooked to the A3000's SCSI port. I had at one time a SyQuest, a CD-ROM drive
and a Konica KT-510 drive, all removable media devices, and when I tried to
boot without disks in any of them the system booted just fine, only it took
1.5 minutes for the A3000 to start it's boot (30 sec x 3 devices = 1.5 min)

>
> That's peculiar. I have a 44meg Syquest hooked up to a GVP Series II
> controller, 2000, 2.04 in ROM and have no problem like that mentioned above. I
> can boot without a cartridge in place. Does anyone know what the diff is
> between the 2 configs.

The difference between the 2 configs is that one is a GVP SeriesII card, and
the other is an A3000 (2091 based) SCSI controller. The GVP polls all the
drives at once, so is much faster (but it too has it's problems) to boot up.

> --
> Bill Bennett     wbennett@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu

--
                        -Mike Schiller
                         CIS  : 76416,3065
                           or   76416.3065@compuserve.com
                         BIX  : schiller
                         UUCP : ...uflorida!novavax!agrijag!mike
                         GEnie: schiller