Configuring SCSI SCA to LVD

[lmbell]

Sometimes the hassle to upgrade doesn't seem worth it. Imagine swapping out a motherboard, reconnecting all of your old and new components and actually having everything work the first time....

I have a SuperMicro S2DL3 mobo with U160 SCSI onboard (replaced an S2DGU with U2W onboard). I have been using a 36.7GB IBM 36LZX 68-pin (DDYS-T36950W, PN 07N3200) 10k drive with an LVD 2 drive cable with attached terminator.

I also bought two more of the drives on eBay, but both in SCA 80-pin form with an adapter provided by my seller (don't have mfr IDs on those here with me at the office).

I was going to set up a RAID array, but of course my Adaptec ARO-1130U2 RaidPort card doesn't work with the new motherboard. So RAID will wait.

I didn't back up all my info because the plan was to make one of the additional drives the 0 drive, install Win2k from scratch to the new drive, and then copy what I wanted to preserve from the old drive.

I re-jumpered my old 68-pin drive to SCSI ID 1, and left the jumpers off the new drives (tried this with both, so adapter without jumper provides SCSI ID 0. The upshot: the onboard SCSI sees my old drive at SCSI ID 1 fine, but has trouble with either drive at ID 0. One drive (adapter 1) it sees at ID 0, but can't get it to spin up, giving me an error message. The other drive (adapter 2) it doesn't see at all. In both cases the LED on the drive lights, so I know I have power, and I can feel the vibration indicating that the drive has started up.

This seems like some kind of interplay between the drive jumpers and the adapter, and I can't figure out what jumpers I need to set on either so they work properly. I will try to research the web-sites for the adapter manufacturers, but they generally don't have anything drive-specific. I've looked at IBM's information about the drive, but can't figure out the significance of the differences between the 80-pin (SCA version of drive) jumper settings and the 68-pin (LVD version) jumper settings. My guess is I have to configure something on the drive (or the adapter?) so it will act like an LVD drive.

Any experience with this any of you may have had and your guidance would be appreciated.

 

[Scotty35]

Try another connector down the ribbon further, also you could reset SCSI bios to defaults or check boot is ID"0" and auto-terminate. I find it best to actually jumper disk "0" as "0" onboard the disk itself and to also jumper "Auto-spin" on all disks. Could try to un-connect disk ID"1" from the ribbon to see if the other new drive works on its own then try as mentioned above another connector port on the ribbon or try a different channel /port on the SCSI controller card if it has one. As far as jumpers go I have played with these and eventually found what does what and when in my configuration which I also mentioned above.
SCSI requires a lot of patience sometimes but certainly worth the effort.

Both/all drives and devices are U3 LVD and not HVD, U2 etc?
Can you get hold of a 80pin ribbon?

Anyway see how you go, good luck!


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:tongue: Whatever!

 

[lmbell]

I'll give it a try. The onboard chip provides only one 68 pin LVD connector. I did pull the working drive at ID 1; before that it didn't see the drive with adapter 1 at all, but afterwards saw it at ID 0. But maybe the autospin will cure that one.

Try again tonight.

 

[Scotty35]

You may even find settings in the bios if it is onboard.

:tongue: Whatever!

 

[lmbell]

I'm beginning to think I've got at least one bad drive. I tried that with both converters (80-pin to 60-pin LVD), both positions on the cable (I think one of the two cable positions has gone bad), and on a brand new cable. Results are consistent: adapter keeps reporting ASYN error, drive won't spin up on power up or on drive start command, and it doesn't feel like it's spinning at all. So that one's going back to IBM under the warranty.

Second drive is now recognized and working, but adapter reports its bus speed as 40.0 rather than 160. The on-board adapter BIOS settings are 160 on all IDs, and it identifies my older drive (regular 68-pin) as Ultra160. Tried both converters, with same result. I'm wondering if either the converters don't fully support U160, or if this drive has a defect too.

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[Scotty35]

Don't trust the scsi cable just because it is new!
On my ribbon the next connection point from the first one nearest the terminated end will only allow the drive on it to perform at 40M/Bs so I just moved it up the chain a position and it work just dandy. I vaigly remember something about spacing drives/devices evenly over the ribbon but I could be mistaken on that one.

Keep trying each drive individually swapping them around etc, if you send the drive back to IBM and nothing is wrong with it they will charge you return fee's.

Using reducing adapters is not ideal in my book, but thats my opinion.

So each drive will work on their own?




:tongue: Whatever!

 

[Scotty35]

Have a look on the manufactures website for the mainboard for any known issues. Check to see if there is a Bios and/or driver update as well, they may have a fix for it. Bit of a long shot but you never know.

:tongue: Whatever!

 

[lmbell]

Well, upshot of it all is that the drive that doesn't spin up doesn't spin up in any event and has been RMA'd to IBM. The other drive is showing only 40Mbps bandwidth because the SCA/LVD adapter (CS-Electronics ADP-9014) is old and not designed for Ultra 160. I have ordered the new ADP-9018 which has been engineered (matching impedence, conforming trace lengths to ensure synchronous signal) to support U160/U320. Hopefully this will solve all remaing problems (other than a further hit to the old pocketbook). I also bought another of the IBM drives on eBay, so now I'm thinking of RAID again. Where was the thread on internal RAID enclosures.....

 

[Scotty35]

You like those IBM's don't you,
Had a suspicion of cable or adapters, I am pleased you worked it out except now you have to wait for a RMA return.

I did a RMA to IBM recently for a drive and it took just on 20 days total as they won't cross ship, mind you they were very efficient and I did get a brand new one in return.
Now you know what the "S" in $C$I really means.

No thread in here about SCSI raid that I know of but you can try these links:

<A HREF="http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/product/prodtechindex.html?sess=no&cat=/Technology/RAID" target="_new">Adaptec Raid</A>

<A HREF="http://www.storagereview.com" target="_new">http://www.storagereview.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.adaptecstore.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry16?SP=10024&PN=29&xid=14948&V1=30007576&V2=30007576&V3=1&V5=&V4=10&S1=&S2=&S3=&S4=&S5=&DSP=0&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0" target="_new">Adaptec online store</A>

I will get back to you with some more links later.

Good Luck.

<A HREF="http://www.commonwealthgames.com" target="_new"> Its all Gold for Australia</A>. Manchester games.