Introduction: To start with, "newer" doesn't necessarily mean "better". The sb1k/sb2k is one of the most capable and reliable workstations ever built. And when exclusively considering SPARC Desktops it may be *the* best. It's fireplane interconnect is *fast*. And it runs up to two full US3/US3cu's (600MHz_NonCu > 750MHz_Noncu_x6990a > 900MHZ_NonCu_x7000a > 900MHz_Cu_x7009a > 1015MHz_cu_x7064a > 1050MHz_cu_x7017a > 1200MHz_cu_x7310a. NonCu parts can be speed-mixed. Speed mixing of Cu parts is "not surrorted", but should also work technically. Only mixing Cu and NonCu parts will definitely not work.
Some people claim, above modules were mysteriously "no real US3/US3cu CPU's", but whatever exotic limited cut-down versions (closer to the low-end USIIIi, rather than USIII), but that's nonsense: Those modules do have 100% fully capable 1368 pin flip-chip ceramic Land Grid Array (LGA) chips inside, just as on the photo at http://www.sun.com/processors/UltraSPARC-III/index.xml, so even USIV would fit the connector physically (wouldn't work, of course). Anyone, look below the heat-sink, if you don't believe this :-) So *please* don't call a sb1k an "old system". Flash to the latest OBP (4.16.4 January 2005), ebay two x7310a, and your system will clearly outperform any red sb1500 or even red sb2500 (according to the official spec results from back then). Paul Duncan wrote: > Okay, well I've seen some used ones on eBay, and a new 146GB (very strange > size) Seagate for 180 quid, which does seem rather expensive for a drive of > that size, but I might get one anyway. > Yes, the Seagate 146GB FCAL drives are known to work in sb1k/sb2k/N20/sf280r. But one has to be careful with FCAL's interoperability/compatibility: While any scsi disk will work with whatever scsi controller (if required, connected by means of an an adaptor), FCAL reqires the disk's firmware to be compatible with the FCAL host controller. The sb1k uses a qlogic chip (have to check for exact model). So you can use whatever hdd that works with that exact qlogic chip, but nothing else (see hdd producer's detailed developer-datasheets) This hasn't actually much to do with format or Joerg's sformat (that question would exclusively come afterwards, that is, IF the given disk does work with the qlogic chip, and then just CHS autodetection wouldn't work with a given Nevada build (it changes from time to time). There are also 300GB FCAL drives now, and I have heard somebody claiming of being run such an exclusive part in a sb1k, but I did't verify that myself. Why? Because I don't recommend you to spend much money for a FCAL disk, except for 24x7x365 industrial strength server usage. But for personal use it's just not worth that money. +-+-+-+-+-+-+ In a sb1k/sb2k you have at least the following alternatives: ### Bootable disks, connected via OF-aware ... ### * onboard FCAL * PCI-SCSI controller card * PCI SAS/SATA card ### Disks connected via nonbootable controllers: ### (Nonbootable, because they lack their FCode drivers, respectively. Those either have to be incorporated ionto the sb1k's OBP ieee1275 firmware [check this under {ok / <path_to> builtin-drivers}], or the pci card would have to have them onboard on an "OF" prom chip) *cmd/sil 649 PCI UATA100 IDE card (disk size limit 120GB, not recommended) *sil680 PCI UATA133 IDE card (disk size limit 120GB, not recommended) * ieee1394 FireWire 400 PCI card (check for compatibility) * any standards compliant USB2.0 card with a NEC chip (important) should work. Prices start at $5,-. +-+-+-+-+-+-+ BTW, support for FireWire disks had worked well in early Solaris 10 builds (e.g. FCS/GA_03/05). But on Nevada it got a bit uneasy temporarily. Early builds (circa until snv24) would always panic due to dereferencing a NULL pointer, as soon as the IEEE1394 disk would have been connected. That's fixed. It now does work again, but you now have to enter C/H/S manually. On Solaris10 the autodetection of several external drives had worked for me. Whereas on Nevada I was required to define a disk type by myself. sformat is not required for that. Start format with the "-e" option. The rmformat utility, which normally should be used, has never done anything useful for me. Start format -->> enter CHS -->> label -->> newfs. Works ok (all previously stored data will be inaccessible, or zeroed, respectively). Take a new disk. I use two 500GB Seagate IDE disks in external enclosures, one via USB2.0 ($10,- NEC controller), another via FireWire. Important: Disable volume management, at least for your hdd's. Add enties to /etc/vfstab. > Okay, but am I right in thinking the system only has USB1.1? > Absolutely correct. Even the sb1500 needed a pre-installed pci card for this (While I never wanted one of those lightweight boxes, so I didn't check. But the datasheet suggests this.). A cheap pci add-on board (NEC) is needed, if you want USB2.0 on your sb1k/sb2k. Don't put a 33MHz card into the 66MHz slot. It would slow down performance, plus some 33MHz boards are known to die prematurely, in that slot. > Well, I do have one 400GB external firewire - currently in use as a backup > drive for a Linux server, so once I manage to shift the data onto something > else, I guess I could use that. > I give you my word on that. > I wonder if its possible to use a PCI sata card in there... > That's certainly THE perfect solution, because it's internal (or external, if desired), plus it's faster, plus the disks are the cheapest (cheaper than IDE nowadays), but - probably most importantly - you can boot off them. Here are a few of my personal bookmarks: sata sparc solaris - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?q=sata+sparc+solaris&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a>sata sparc solaris pci driver - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=cr8&q=sata+sparc+solaris+pci+driver&btnG=Suche&meta=>[driver-discuss] SATA/SPARC again: Ultra 25 <http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/driver-discuss/2006-November/003669.html>[driver-discuss] SATA/SPARC again: Ultra 25 <http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/driver-discuss/2006-November/003669.html>[driver-discuss] SATA/SPARC again: Ultra 25 <http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/driver-discuss/2006-November/003670.html>OpenSolaris Forums: Sparc SATA support and booting ... <http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?messageID=128785>unixzone dot dk » SATA on SPARC Solaris <http://www.unixzone.dk/unix/20060218/sata-on-sparc-solaris/>"LSI Logic 3041X-R " - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?q=%22LSI+Logic+3041X-R+%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a>LSISAS3041X-R : Basic Connectivity Line : SAS HBAs : Host Bus Adapters : Products : Storage : LSI <http://www.lsi.com/storage_home/products_home/host_bus_adapters/sas_hbas/lsisas3041xr/index.html>http://www.lsi.com/files/support/ssp/fusionmpt/Sparc/solinst_SPARC.txteBay: LSI Logic 3041X-R <http://search-desc.ebay.de/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=LSI+Logic+3041X-R&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&fts=2&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D3&sadis=200&fpos=Postleitza&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ga10244=10425&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1>LSI Logic 3041X-R preis - Google Search <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=LSI+Logic+3041X-R+preis&btnG=Search>"3041X-R " price - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%223041X-R+%22+price&btnG=Suche&meta=>unixzone dot dk » SATA on SPARC Solaris <http://www.unixzone.dk/unix/20060218/sata-on-sparc-solaris/>LSI3080X - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?q=LSI3080X&btnG=Suche&hl=de&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=wbo>SPARC and SAS <http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5138689&tstart=150>SPARC and SAS <http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5138689&tstart=150>LSI 3080X - Google-Suche <http://www.google.de/search?q=LSI+3080X&btnG=Suche&hl=de&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial>Old sparc & SATA drives <http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5193183> The LSI3041X-R with OpenFirmware onboard (bootable!) might be your best bet. Prices are down to below $200,- USD. Much success, rgds., %martin% _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list [email protected]
