diff options
author | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@ppc970.osdl.org> | 2005-04-16 18:20:36 -0400 |
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committer | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@ppc970.osdl.org> | 2005-04-16 18:20:36 -0400 |
commit | 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 (patch) | |
tree | 0bba044c4ce775e45a88a51686b5d9f90697ea9d /Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt |
Linux-2.6.12-rc2v2.6.12-rc2
Initial git repository build. I'm not bothering with the full history,
even though we have it. We can create a separate "historical" git
archive of that later if we want to, and in the meantime it's about
3.2GB when imported into git - space that would just make the early
git days unnecessarily complicated, when we don't have a lot of good
infrastructure for it.
Let it rip!
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt | 163 |
1 files changed, 163 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt b/Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..d5acaa300a46 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/scsi/FlashPoint.txt | |||
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1 | The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Host Adapters are now fully supported on Linux. | ||
2 | The upgrade program described below has been officially terminated effective | ||
3 | 31 March 1997 since it is no longer needed. | ||
4 | |||
5 | |||
6 | |||
7 | MYLEX INTRODUCES LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR ITS | ||
8 | BUSLOGIC FLASHPOINT LINE OF SCSI HOST ADAPTERS | ||
9 | |||
10 | |||
11 | FREMONT, CA, -- October 8, 1996 -- Mylex Corporation has expanded Linux | ||
12 | operating system support to its BusLogic brand of FlashPoint Ultra SCSI | ||
13 | host adapters. All of BusLogic's other SCSI host adapters, including the | ||
14 | MultiMaster line, currently support the Linux operating system. Linux | ||
15 | drivers and information will be available on October 15th at | ||
16 | http://www.dandelion.com/Linux/. | ||
17 | |||
18 | "Mylex is committed to supporting the Linux community," says Peter Shambora, | ||
19 | vice president of marketing for Mylex. "We have supported Linux driver | ||
20 | development and provided technical support for our host adapters for several | ||
21 | years, and are pleased to now make our FlashPoint products available to this | ||
22 | user base." | ||
23 | |||
24 | The Linux Operating System | ||
25 | |||
26 | Linux is a freely-distributed implementation of UNIX for Intel x86, Sun | ||
27 | SPARC, SGI MIPS, Motorola 68k, Digital Alpha AXP and Motorola PowerPC | ||
28 | machines. It supports a wide range of software, including the X Window | ||
29 | System, Emacs, and TCP/IP networking. Further information is available at | ||
30 | http://www.linux.org and http://www.ssc.com/linux. | ||
31 | |||
32 | FlashPoint Host Adapters | ||
33 | |||
34 | The FlashPoint family of Ultra SCSI host adapters, designed for workstation | ||
35 | and file server environments, are available in narrow, wide, dual channel, | ||
36 | and dual channel wide versions. These adapters feature SeqEngine | ||
37 | automation technology, which minimizes SCSI command overhead and reduces | ||
38 | the number of interrupts generated to the CPU. | ||
39 | |||
40 | About Mylex | ||
41 | |||
42 | Mylex Corporation (NASDAQ/NM SYMBOL: MYLX), founded in 1983, is a leading | ||
43 | producer of RAID technology and network management products. The company | ||
44 | produces high performance disk array (RAID) controllers, and complementary | ||
45 | computer products for network servers, mass storage systems, workstations | ||
46 | and system boards. Through its wide range of RAID controllers and its | ||
47 | BusLogic line of Ultra SCSI host adapter products, Mylex provides enabling | ||
48 | intelligent I/O technologies that increase network management control, | ||
49 | enhance CPU utilization, optimize I/O performance, and ensure data security | ||
50 | and availability. Products are sold globally through a network of OEMs, | ||
51 | major distributors, VARs, and system integrators. Mylex Corporation is | ||
52 | headquartered at 34551 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, CA. | ||
53 | |||
54 | #### | ||
55 | |||
56 | Contact: | ||
57 | |||
58 | Peter Shambora | ||
59 | Vice President of Marketing | ||
60 | Mylex Corp. | ||
61 | 510/796-6100 | ||
62 | peters@mylex.com | ||
63 | |||
64 | ANNOUNCEMENT | ||
65 | BusLogic FlashPoint LT/BT-948 Upgrade Program | ||
66 | 1 February 1996 | ||
67 | |||
68 | ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT | ||
69 | BusLogic FlashPoint LW/BT-958 Upgrade Program | ||
70 | 14 June 1996 | ||
71 | |||
72 | Ever since its introduction last October, the BusLogic FlashPoint LT has | ||
73 | been problematic for members of the Linux community, in that no Linux | ||
74 | drivers have been available for this new Ultra SCSI product. Despite it's | ||
75 | officially being positioned as a desktop workstation product, and not being | ||
76 | particularly well suited for a high performance multitasking operating | ||
77 | system like Linux, the FlashPoint LT has been touted by computer system | ||
78 | vendors as the latest thing, and has been sold even on many of their high | ||
79 | end systems, to the exclusion of the older MultiMaster products. This has | ||
80 | caused grief for many people who inadvertently purchased a system expecting | ||
81 | that all BusLogic SCSI Host Adapters were supported by Linux, only to | ||
82 | discover that the FlashPoint was not supported and would not be for quite | ||
83 | some time, if ever. | ||
84 | |||
85 | After this problem was identified, BusLogic contacted its major OEM | ||
86 | customers to make sure the BT-946C/956C MultiMaster cards would still be | ||
87 | made available, and that Linux users who mistakenly ordered systems with | ||
88 | the FlashPoint would be able to upgrade to the BT-946C. While this helped | ||
89 | many purchasers of new systems, it was only a partial solution to the | ||
90 | overall problem of FlashPoint support for Linux users. It did nothing to | ||
91 | assist the people who initially purchased a FlashPoint for a supported | ||
92 | operating system and then later decided to run Linux, or those who had | ||
93 | ended up with a FlashPoint LT, believing it was supported, and were unable | ||
94 | to return it. | ||
95 | |||
96 | In the middle of December, I asked to meet with BusLogic's senior | ||
97 | management to discuss the issues related to Linux and free software support | ||
98 | for the FlashPoint. Rumors of varying accuracy had been circulating | ||
99 | publicly about BusLogic's attitude toward the Linux community, and I felt | ||
100 | it was best that these issues be addressed directly. I sent an email | ||
101 | message after 11pm one evening, and the meeting took place the next | ||
102 | afternoon. Unfortunately, corporate wheels sometimes grind slowly, | ||
103 | especially when a company is being acquired, and so it's taken until now | ||
104 | before the details were completely determined and a public statement could | ||
105 | be made. | ||
106 | |||
107 | BusLogic is not prepared at this time to release the information necessary | ||
108 | for third parties to write drivers for the FlashPoint. The only existing | ||
109 | FlashPoint drivers have been written directly by BusLogic Engineering, and | ||
110 | there is no FlashPoint documentation sufficiently detailed to allow outside | ||
111 | developers to write a driver without substantial assistance. While there | ||
112 | are people at BusLogic who would rather not release the details of the | ||
113 | FlashPoint architecture at all, that debate has not yet been settled either | ||
114 | way. In any event, even if documentation were available today it would | ||
115 | take quite a while for a usable driver to be written, especially since I'm | ||
116 | not convinced that the effort required would be worthwhile. | ||
117 | |||
118 | However, BusLogic does remain committed to providing a high performance | ||
119 | SCSI solution for the Linux community, and does not want to see anyone left | ||
120 | unable to run Linux because they have a Flashpoint LT. Therefore, BusLogic | ||
121 | has put in place a direct upgrade program to allow any Linux user worldwide | ||
122 | to trade in their FlashPoint LT for the new BT-948 MultiMaster PCI Ultra | ||
123 | SCSI Host Adapter. The BT-948 is the Ultra SCSI successor to the BT-946C | ||
124 | and has all the best features of both the BT-946C and FlashPoint LT, | ||
125 | including smart termination and a flash PROM for easy firmware updates, and | ||
126 | is of course compatible with the present Linux driver. The price for this | ||
127 | upgrade has been set at US $45 plus shipping and handling, and the upgrade | ||
128 | program will be administered through BusLogic Technical Support, which can | ||
129 | be reached by electronic mail at techsup@buslogic.com, by Voice at +1 408 | ||
130 | 654-0760, or by FAX at +1 408 492-1542. | ||
131 | |||
132 | As of 14 June 1996, the original BusLogic FlashPoint LT to BT-948 upgrade | ||
133 | program has now been extended to encompass the FlashPoint LW Wide Ultra | ||
134 | SCSI Host Adapter. Any Linux user worldwide may trade in their FlashPoint | ||
135 | LW (BT-950) for a BT-958 MultiMaster PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter. The | ||
136 | price for this upgrade has been set at US $65 plus shipping and handling. | ||
137 | |||
138 | I was a beta test site for the BT-948/958, and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of | ||
139 | my BusLogic driver already included latent support for the BT-948/958. | ||
140 | Additional cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards was added | ||
141 | subsequent releases. As a result of this cooperative testing process, | ||
142 | several firmware bugs were found and corrected. My heavily loaded Linux | ||
143 | test system provided an ideal environment for testing error recovery | ||
144 | processes that are much more rarely exercised in production systems, but | ||
145 | are crucial to overall system stability. It was especially convenient | ||
146 | being able to work directly with their firmware engineer in demonstrating | ||
147 | the problems under control of the firmware debugging environment; things | ||
148 | sure have come a long way since the last time I worked on firmware for an | ||
149 | embedded system. I am presently working on some performance testing and | ||
150 | expect to have some data to report in the not too distant future. | ||
151 | |||
152 | BusLogic asked me to send this announcement since a large percentage of the | ||
153 | questions regarding support for the FlashPoint have either been sent to me | ||
154 | directly via email, or have appeared in the Linux newsgroups in which I | ||
155 | participate. To summarize, BusLogic is offering Linux users an upgrade | ||
156 | from the unsupported FlashPoint LT (BT-930) to the supported BT-948 for US | ||
157 | $45 plus shipping and handling, or from the unsupported FlashPoint LW | ||
158 | (BT-950) to the supported BT-958 for $65 plus shipping and handling. | ||
159 | Contact BusLogic Technical Support at techsup@buslogic.com or +1 408 | ||
160 | 654-0760 to take advantage of their offer. | ||
161 | |||
162 | Leonard N. Zubkoff | ||
163 | lnz@dandelion.com | ||