From: MLONG@isucard.card.iastate.edu
Subject: Re: IBM Lan Server reliability
Organization: CARD
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 16:54:36 GMT

In article <yawn2cj.totala@netcom.com>                                                                                                                
totala@netcom.com (Taneli Otala) writes:                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
>Does ANYBODY have the following setup working RELIABLY?                                                                                              
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>Machine:                                                                                                                                             
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   486/33 8K of cache (also tried on a 386/40)                                                                                                       
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   12 MB of RAM                                                                                                                                      
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   1 GB Micropolis hard disk via SCSI                                                                                                                
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   CDROM via SCSI                                                                                                                                    
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   Adaptec 1542B SCSI controller                                                                                                                     
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   VGA video card (B&W monitor)                                                                                                                      
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   3Com 3C503 (Etherlink II)                                                                                                                         
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>Software:                                                                                                                                            
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   OS/2 2.0 GA (as it comes out of the box)                                                                                                          
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   IBM Lan Server 2.0                                                                                                                                
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>We had lots of other hardware installed, but in pursuit of a stable                                                                                  
>                                                                                                                                                     
>system we've stripped it this low.                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>We have tried the system with and without patches (HPFS, KERNEL and                                                                                  
>                                                                                                                                                     
>ADAPTEC). We have also tried it with various CPU clock speeds and bus                                                                                
>                                                                                                                                                     
>clock speeds.                                                                                                                                        
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>The problem is always the same:                                                                                                                      
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   When we copy big enough chunk of data with XCOPY or COPY, the system                                                                              
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   either gets a TRAP 000d or 0008 or it just plain freezes.                                                                                         
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   We've called IBM tech support on numerous occasions, and this has been                                                                            
>                                                                                                                                                     
>   going on for two months!                                                                                                                          
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>We really would love to have the IBM Lan Server up, but what does it                                                                                 
>                                                                                                                                                     
>require? Do we need to buy PS/2 machine and Token ring cards or can we                                                                               
>                                                                                                                                                     
>achieve with earthly hardware. If the only working environment is PS/2                                                                               
>                                                                                                                                                     
>with Token ring cards, then we'll just going to have to give up.                                                                                     
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>We have Netware, Banyan, LanTastic, MS Lan Manager, Netware LITE, etc                                                                                
>                                                                                                                                                     
>servers up and running (we do LAN FAX server programs ourself) but the                                                                               
>                                                                                                                                                     
>problems with IBM Lan Server just take the prize, nothing has ever been                                                                              
>                                                                                                                                                     
>so complicated and unreliable.                                                                                                                       
>                                                                                                                                                     
>..                                                                                                                                                   
>                                                                                                                                                     
>TaO                                                                                                                                                  
>                                                                                                                                                     
>                                                                                                                                                     
There is a set of fixes released by IBM that fixes some XCOPY problems for LS 2                                                                       
0.                                                                                                                                                   
If they are not on hobbes, I can place them there for you.                                                                                            
Mike Long                                                                                                                                             
Iowa State University