[735] in linux-scsi channel archive
Compaq Prosignia VS & ncr53c710.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jim Barry)
Tue Oct 31 15:15:46 1995
From: Jim Barry <Jim.Barry@ilp.com>
To: Drew Eckhardt <drew@poohsticks.org>
Cc: linux-scsi <linux-scsi@vger.rutgers.edu>
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 95 14:07:00 GMT
->From: Drew Eckhardt
->To: Jim Barry
->Cc: linux-scsi
->Subject: Re: Compaq Prosignia VS with onboard ncr53c810.
->Date: 23 October 1995 22:19
->
->>I'm trying to get Linux (Slackware 2.3.0) going on a Compaq Prosignia
->>VS. The SCSI chip on the motherboard has ncr53c810 printed on it,
->>though Windows 95 seems to think it is a ncr53c710. Both these chips are
in
->>the Linux supported hardware list, but Linux fails to detect any SCSI
->>host.
->
->You should have read the SCSI-HOWTO.
Well, actually I did read read the HOWTO. I apologize for misquoting the
model number and thus leading you up the PCI path. It turns out that the
chip is definitely a NCR53c710 and the Compaq has an EISA bus.
->Section 2 then goes into excruciating detail on how to capture your
->startup messages, get them to a DOS disk if you can't get Linux on
->your hard drive, etc.
That's section 3 in the howto on my distribution. The instructions on
capturing startup messages seemed to hinge on having two floppy drives - I
only have one. Anyway there were no messages on the screen - it just says
'scsi: 0 hosts'.
The kernel 'make config' script offers NCR drivers only if you also select
'PCI bios'. Looks to me like the NCR drivers may get skipped on the boot
after it fails to find any BIOS32 extensions. I had a quick look at the
driver code and was disheartened to find it littered with messages like 'the
ncr53c710 driver code has not been tested'.
I rang Compaq and they refused point blank to help in any way, as they do
not support Linux. They wouldn't even give me any info about the hardware -
they just said to use SCO! Yeah, right.
I'm going to get another EISA card - my vendor can supply an Adaptec 2742 or
a DPT. They are comparable in price (expensive) so I could use any advice
about which is better (yes, I know the howto says the BusLogic is best, but
I can't get hold of one).
Cheers,
Jim Barry
Interactive Learning Productions
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
