| 1 |
3 |
xianfeng |
The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Host Adapters are now fully supported on Linux.
|
| 2 |
|
|
The upgrade program described below has been officially terminated effective
|
| 3 |
|
|
31 March 1997 since it is no longer needed.
|
| 4 |
|
|
|
| 5 |
|
|
|
| 6 |
|
|
|
| 7 |
|
|
MYLEX INTRODUCES LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR ITS
|
| 8 |
|
|
BUSLOGIC FLASHPOINT LINE OF SCSI HOST ADAPTERS
|
| 9 |
|
|
|
| 10 |
|
|
|
| 11 |
|
|
FREMONT, CA, -- October 8, 1996 -- Mylex Corporation has expanded Linux
|
| 12 |
|
|
operating system support to its BusLogic brand of FlashPoint Ultra SCSI
|
| 13 |
|
|
host adapters. All of BusLogic's other SCSI host adapters, including the
|
| 14 |
|
|
MultiMaster line, currently support the Linux operating system. Linux
|
| 15 |
|
|
drivers and information will be available on October 15th at
|
| 16 |
|
|
http://www.dandelion.com/Linux/.
|
| 17 |
|
|
|
| 18 |
|
|
"Mylex is committed to supporting the Linux community," says Peter Shambora,
|
| 19 |
|
|
vice president of marketing for Mylex. "We have supported Linux driver
|
| 20 |
|
|
development and provided technical support for our host adapters for several
|
| 21 |
|
|
years, and are pleased to now make our FlashPoint products available to this
|
| 22 |
|
|
user base."
|
| 23 |
|
|
|
| 24 |
|
|
The Linux Operating System
|
| 25 |
|
|
|
| 26 |
|
|
Linux is a freely-distributed implementation of UNIX for Intel x86, Sun
|
| 27 |
|
|
SPARC, SGI MIPS, Motorola 68k, Digital Alpha AXP and Motorola PowerPC
|
| 28 |
|
|
machines. It supports a wide range of software, including the X Window
|
| 29 |
|
|
System, Emacs, and TCP/IP networking. Further information is available at
|
| 30 |
|
|
http://www.linux.org and http://www.ssc.com/linux.
|
| 31 |
|
|
|
| 32 |
|
|
FlashPoint Host Adapters
|
| 33 |
|
|
|
| 34 |
|
|
The FlashPoint family of Ultra SCSI host adapters, designed for workstation
|
| 35 |
|
|
and file server environments, are available in narrow, wide, dual channel,
|
| 36 |
|
|
and dual channel wide versions. These adapters feature SeqEngine
|
| 37 |
|
|
automation technology, which minimizes SCSI command overhead and reduces
|
| 38 |
|
|
the number of interrupts generated to the CPU.
|
| 39 |
|
|
|
| 40 |
|
|
About Mylex
|
| 41 |
|
|
|
| 42 |
|
|
Mylex Corporation (NASDAQ/NM SYMBOL: MYLX), founded in 1983, is a leading
|
| 43 |
|
|
producer of RAID technology and network management products. The company
|
| 44 |
|
|
produces high performance disk array (RAID) controllers, and complementary
|
| 45 |
|
|
computer products for network servers, mass storage systems, workstations
|
| 46 |
|
|
and system boards. Through its wide range of RAID controllers and its
|
| 47 |
|
|
BusLogic line of Ultra SCSI host adapter products, Mylex provides enabling
|
| 48 |
|
|
intelligent I/O technologies that increase network management control,
|
| 49 |
|
|
enhance CPU utilization, optimize I/O performance, and ensure data security
|
| 50 |
|
|
and availability. Products are sold globally through a network of OEMs,
|
| 51 |
|
|
major distributors, VARs, and system integrators. Mylex Corporation is
|
| 52 |
|
|
headquartered at 34551 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, CA.
|
| 53 |
|
|
|
| 54 |
|
|
####
|
| 55 |
|
|
|
| 56 |
|
|
Contact:
|
| 57 |
|
|
|
| 58 |
|
|
Peter Shambora
|
| 59 |
|
|
Vice President of Marketing
|
| 60 |
|
|
Mylex Corp.
|
| 61 |
|
|
510/796-6100
|
| 62 |
|
|
peters@mylex.com
|
| 63 |
|
|
|
| 64 |
|
|
ANNOUNCEMENT
|
| 65 |
|
|
BusLogic FlashPoint LT/BT-948 Upgrade Program
|
| 66 |
|
|
1 February 1996
|
| 67 |
|
|
|
| 68 |
|
|
ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
|
| 69 |
|
|
BusLogic FlashPoint LW/BT-958 Upgrade Program
|
| 70 |
|
|
14 June 1996
|
| 71 |
|
|
|
| 72 |
|
|
Ever since its introduction last October, the BusLogic FlashPoint LT has
|
| 73 |
|
|
been problematic for members of the Linux community, in that no Linux
|
| 74 |
|
|
drivers have been available for this new Ultra SCSI product. Despite it's
|
| 75 |
|
|
officially being positioned as a desktop workstation product, and not being
|
| 76 |
|
|
particularly well suited for a high performance multitasking operating
|
| 77 |
|
|
system like Linux, the FlashPoint LT has been touted by computer system
|
| 78 |
|
|
vendors as the latest thing, and has been sold even on many of their high
|
| 79 |
|
|
end systems, to the exclusion of the older MultiMaster products. This has
|
| 80 |
|
|
caused grief for many people who inadvertently purchased a system expecting
|
| 81 |
|
|
that all BusLogic SCSI Host Adapters were supported by Linux, only to
|
| 82 |
|
|
discover that the FlashPoint was not supported and would not be for quite
|
| 83 |
|
|
some time, if ever.
|
| 84 |
|
|
|
| 85 |
|
|
After this problem was identified, BusLogic contacted its major OEM
|
| 86 |
|
|
customers to make sure the BT-946C/956C MultiMaster cards would still be
|
| 87 |
|
|
made available, and that Linux users who mistakenly ordered systems with
|
| 88 |
|
|
the FlashPoint would be able to upgrade to the BT-946C. While this helped
|
| 89 |
|
|
many purchasers of new systems, it was only a partial solution to the
|
| 90 |
|
|
overall problem of FlashPoint support for Linux users. It did nothing to
|
| 91 |
|
|
assist the people who initially purchased a FlashPoint for a supported
|
| 92 |
|
|
operating system and then later decided to run Linux, or those who had
|
| 93 |
|
|
ended up with a FlashPoint LT, believing it was supported, and were unable
|
| 94 |
|
|
to return it.
|
| 95 |
|
|
|
| 96 |
|
|
In the middle of December, I asked to meet with BusLogic's senior
|
| 97 |
|
|
management to discuss the issues related to Linux and free software support
|
| 98 |
|
|
for the FlashPoint. Rumors of varying accuracy had been circulating
|
| 99 |
|
|
publicly about BusLogic's attitude toward the Linux community, and I felt
|
| 100 |
|
|
it was best that these issues be addressed directly. I sent an email
|
| 101 |
|
|
message after 11pm one evening, and the meeting took place the next
|
| 102 |
|
|
afternoon. Unfortunately, corporate wheels sometimes grind slowly,
|
| 103 |
|
|
especially when a company is being acquired, and so it's taken until now
|
| 104 |
|
|
before the details were completely determined and a public statement could
|
| 105 |
|
|
be made.
|
| 106 |
|
|
|
| 107 |
|
|
BusLogic is not prepared at this time to release the information necessary
|
| 108 |
|
|
for third parties to write drivers for the FlashPoint. The only existing
|
| 109 |
|
|
FlashPoint drivers have been written directly by BusLogic Engineering, and
|
| 110 |
|
|
there is no FlashPoint documentation sufficiently detailed to allow outside
|
| 111 |
|
|
developers to write a driver without substantial assistance. While there
|
| 112 |
|
|
are people at BusLogic who would rather not release the details of the
|
| 113 |
|
|
FlashPoint architecture at all, that debate has not yet been settled either
|
| 114 |
|
|
way. In any event, even if documentation were available today it would
|
| 115 |
|
|
take quite a while for a usable driver to be written, especially since I'm
|
| 116 |
|
|
not convinced that the effort required would be worthwhile.
|
| 117 |
|
|
|
| 118 |
|
|
However, BusLogic does remain committed to providing a high performance
|
| 119 |
|
|
SCSI solution for the Linux community, and does not want to see anyone left
|
| 120 |
|
|
unable to run Linux because they have a Flashpoint LT. Therefore, BusLogic
|
| 121 |
|
|
has put in place a direct upgrade program to allow any Linux user worldwide
|
| 122 |
|
|
to trade in their FlashPoint LT for the new BT-948 MultiMaster PCI Ultra
|
| 123 |
|
|
SCSI Host Adapter. The BT-948 is the Ultra SCSI successor to the BT-946C
|
| 124 |
|
|
and has all the best features of both the BT-946C and FlashPoint LT,
|
| 125 |
|
|
including smart termination and a flash PROM for easy firmware updates, and
|
| 126 |
|
|
is of course compatible with the present Linux driver. The price for this
|
| 127 |
|
|
upgrade has been set at US $45 plus shipping and handling, and the upgrade
|
| 128 |
|
|
program will be administered through BusLogic Technical Support, which can
|
| 129 |
|
|
be reached by electronic mail at techsup@buslogic.com, by Voice at +1 408
|
| 130 |
|
|
654-0760, or by FAX at +1 408 492-1542.
|
| 131 |
|
|
|
| 132 |
|
|
As of 14 June 1996, the original BusLogic FlashPoint LT to BT-948 upgrade
|
| 133 |
|
|
program has now been extended to encompass the FlashPoint LW Wide Ultra
|
| 134 |
|
|
SCSI Host Adapter. Any Linux user worldwide may trade in their FlashPoint
|
| 135 |
|
|
LW (BT-950) for a BT-958 MultiMaster PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter. The
|
| 136 |
|
|
price for this upgrade has been set at US $65 plus shipping and handling.
|
| 137 |
|
|
|
| 138 |
|
|
I was a beta test site for the BT-948/958, and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of
|
| 139 |
|
|
my BusLogic driver already included latent support for the BT-948/958.
|
| 140 |
|
|
Additional cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards was added
|
| 141 |
|
|
subsequent releases. As a result of this cooperative testing process,
|
| 142 |
|
|
several firmware bugs were found and corrected. My heavily loaded Linux
|
| 143 |
|
|
test system provided an ideal environment for testing error recovery
|
| 144 |
|
|
processes that are much more rarely exercised in production systems, but
|
| 145 |
|
|
are crucial to overall system stability. It was especially convenient
|
| 146 |
|
|
being able to work directly with their firmware engineer in demonstrating
|
| 147 |
|
|
the problems under control of the firmware debugging environment; things
|
| 148 |
|
|
sure have come a long way since the last time I worked on firmware for an
|
| 149 |
|
|
embedded system. I am presently working on some performance testing and
|
| 150 |
|
|
expect to have some data to report in the not too distant future.
|
| 151 |
|
|
|
| 152 |
|
|
BusLogic asked me to send this announcement since a large percentage of the
|
| 153 |
|
|
questions regarding support for the FlashPoint have either been sent to me
|
| 154 |
|
|
directly via email, or have appeared in the Linux newsgroups in which I
|
| 155 |
|
|
participate. To summarize, BusLogic is offering Linux users an upgrade
|
| 156 |
|
|
from the unsupported FlashPoint LT (BT-930) to the supported BT-948 for US
|
| 157 |
|
|
$45 plus shipping and handling, or from the unsupported FlashPoint LW
|
| 158 |
|
|
(BT-950) to the supported BT-958 for $65 plus shipping and handling.
|
| 159 |
|
|
Contact BusLogic Technical Support at techsup@buslogic.com or +1 408
|
| 160 |
|
|
654-0760 to take advantage of their offer.
|
| 161 |
|
|
|
| 162 |
|
|
Leonard N. Zubkoff
|
| 163 |
|
|
lnz@dandelion.com
|
