Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Path: lth.se!sunic!mcsun!uunet!decwrl!access.usask.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!shad04
From: shad04@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Dan Fandrich)
Subject: Future Domain problems (was Re: switching SCSI controllers)
Message-ID: <1992Aug23.003442.21663@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Keywords: Future Domain,TMC-xxx,SCSI,BIOS,patches
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
References: <1992Aug20.201605.8071@newstand.syr.edu>
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 00:34:42 GMT
Lines: 36

In article <1992Aug20.201605.8071@newstand.syr.edu> arivero@mothra.cns.syr.edu (Angelo Rivero) writes:
>I just got a Adaptec 1522 controller to replace my Future Domain.  I am
>running a 330 meg Micropolis drive, partitioned into 7 drives (Im an
>organization freak) using Dos 5.  When I boot from my Adaptec, to the hard
>drive I get a "missing operating system" message, although flipping back to
>the Future Domain it works fine.  When I boot from floppy, I can only access
>the C: partition (Dos primary active) , and Fdisk reports that the rest of
>the space is in a extended dos partition but it doesnt find any logical drive.
>Again flipping back to the Future Domain, it all works fine.
[...]

This is bound to be caused by differences in the controllers' translation
between SCSI's logical disk blocks and INT 13's requirement of cylinders,
heads and sectors.  Future Domain gives a disk 17, 34 or 63 sectors per
logical track, then fits the number of heads and cylinders to match the
disk's actual capacity.  If the Adaptec doesn't give your disk the exact
number of logical tracks/heads/sectors as the Future Domain, you'll have 
problems.

>In case I cant, I also have a problem hooking up the Micropolis & Quantum
>at once on my Future Domain. I set Micropolis to Scsi 0 lun 0 and Quantum
>to Scsi 1 Lun 0, and it recognizes both (SCSI bios does that is), and then
>proceeds to boot off the Micropolis, but then I cant access the Quantum. 
>What am I doing wrong? (when i flip addresses, I can use the Quantum but
>not the Micropolis)

You're doing nothing wrong.  Future Domain deliberately cripples their BIOS
to limit you to a single SCSI disk so they can sell you their disk
partitioning software.  I've developed a patch to the ver. 6.0A BIOS that 
removes this restriction, as well as halving the boot time and fixing another
problem or two.  Of course, this won't do you any good unless you have access
to an EPROM programmer.  I'll post a notice here when I make it available.

>>> Dan
-- 
Internet: shad04@ccu.umanitoba.ca               Compu$erve: 72365,306
