It's great that Adaptec has finally decided to support Linux. But why
didn't they do it from the start? Why were they so protective about
their hardware? I don't need to know the answer to these questions.
I just need to know that Buslogic was there for the Linux community
when we asked for help. Buslogic was more than willing to donate hardware
and release specs to their cards. Adaptec refused to do so and there
will be folks like me who won't forget and forgive and will keep buying
from the good folks at Buslogic.
Remember, back in '93 or '94, Diamond had a hold on the video card market
and folks like Gateway only shipped machines with Diamond cards. Well,
then soon folks found out that Diamond cards aren't worth a damn b/c
they don't work with Linux. And Gateway didn't want to lose customers
and they started packaging other video cards. This obviously won't happen
to Adaptec because they are so big. (I wish it would.)
Bottom line, I don't believe in brand loyalty because I try to buy products
that perform and are cheap. But I do try to help companies like Buslogic
who have been more than helpful to the Linux community from the start.
Adaptec needs to get over the fact that their products aren't the best
just because they own a big market share (hint hint billy boy and his pals).
We aren't exactly dealing with alien technology with these scsi products
from Adaptec.
BTW, Ledford has done a great job with these new drivers.
--
Mark Lin
http://microwave.ph.msstate.edu/~mlin/
On Thu, 19 Nov 1998, Robert G. Brown wrote:
> On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, Jiann-Ming Su wrote:
>
> > > Apparently, SCSI support is integrated with BOTH Adaptec "AIC-7890
> > > Ultra-2/LVD SCSI" AND "AIC-7860 Ultra/Narrow SCSI-3". Will these be OK for
> > > Linux? (Or should that question go to the Kernel list???)
> > >
> >
> > Your best bet is to replace the onboard Adaptec with BusLogic. The
> > Adaptec driver has come a long way, but the BusLogic is far more mature.
> > Although, I have had good luck with the AIC-7880, I have not with the
> > AIC-7870. If something isn't working, you'll know it's not the BusLogic.
>
> This might be reasonable advice if it weren't for
>
> a) the many people that are doing just fine with the 2300 and the
> 7860/7890 with 2.0.[x>=35] and aic7xxx 5.1.[x>=2]. So there is no
> reason to spend money on a buslogic -- the 7890 is a superb U2W
> controller and works more or less flawlessly in the 2300.
>
> b) the fact that Dell now supports linux and has made 2300 systems
> available to e.g., Doug Ledford for debugging. Dell has more or less
> committed itself to ensuring that at least Red Hat linux runs flawlessly
> on its systems, probably because they can read wall writing in the form
> of ISP server orders accompanied by the plaintive cry: "only if it runs
> linux".
>
> c) the fact that Adaptec is being far warmer and fuzzier toward
> freebsd/linux than ever before. Adaptec was at Linux Expo. Adaptec
> recognizes that linux is becoming a significant market, especially in
> the high end where its fancier adapters live (the ones that cost money
> and make them a decent margin).
>
> The Adaptec driver is supported by Doug Ledford. Doug Ledford now works
> for Red Hat and is being paid to maintain the driver (among other things
> I'm sure, but heck, a full-time real live properly employed driver
> support person is a total luxury in linux even now). Since I worked
> with Doug Ledford fairly extensively during the transition period when
> the 7890 support was being added (I had this pile of 2300's, you see,
> and was forced to run them diskless until we could come up with a kernel
> capable of actually seeing and using its U2W scsi controller) I learned
> a LOT about the aic7xxx driver from the inside. This is the Sufi Way
> according to Linux -- if it doesn't work, pitch in and help out.
>
> If you help out, it shouldn't be too difficult to get the 7870 thing
> straightened out. Doug's new drivers have a debug mode that can really
> facilitate this. Be aware, though, that any problems you experience may
> or may not be related to the 7870 driver (or any linux driver, this is a
> generic remark) not working correctly. Many times problems only exist
> for certain hardware combinations, or certain motherboards. These days,
> a lot of them are really hardware problems in disguise -- even replacing
> an adaptec with a buslogic isn't enough to "prove" that adaptec drivers
> have a problem. Maybe you have marginal memory (actually fairly common
> on very high end systems these days:-( and the adaptec driver is
> good/fast enough to push it past the point where it fails, but the
> buslogic is just a bit slower and doesn't. Maybe >>another<< card in
> your system is fighting with the adaptec but doesn't fight with the
> buslogic (forgive the anamistic view of inanimate hardware, but they ARE
> alive, you know;-). Maybe the problem is the mmap problem in the older
> kernels and the adaptec driver tweaks it but the buslogics driver
> doesn't (which doesn't make it the adaptec driver's fault).
>
> Remember, linux isn't like other operating systems where you call e.g.
> Sun or Microsoft and then sit back to wait for six months for a fix --
> if they don't laugh at you and say "it's not our problem, contact your
> card manufacturer). This is a user maintained system -- you have to
> help out, especially with obscure/rare bugs -- or sit back and wait for
> six months for somebody else to do it for you.
>
> rgb
>
> Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
> Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
> Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
> Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
