On 27 Mar 2002, at 11:26pm, Rich Cloutier wrote: > ... an electronic device ... either works or it doesn't.
That is incorrect. It is quite possible to have solid-state components which are marginal. Such components may have intermittent problems, or may simply fail early. I have certainly seen more than enough flakey hardware over the years. It might not even be immediately apparent. While I was working at Cabletron doing QA, for example, I had to observe strict anti-static precautions. Static discharge you cannot even feel can degrade delicate integrated circuits, significantly shortening their lifespan. Even nominally correct components can have random errors caused by things like power variations or radio interference. That is why we have ECC memory. Sure, a used controller from Joe's House of RAID Cards might have been treated well and work just fine. But it is equally possible that it was thrown into a cardboard box with 38 other cards and shuffled around between computer flea-markets before someone put it up on eBay. Again, if your data is important enough to need a RAID controller, it is certainly important enough to warrant buying from a trustworthy source. -- Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not | | necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or | | organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. | ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
