patch-1.3.89 linux/drivers/scsi/README.FlashPoint

• Lines: 91
• Date: Sun Apr 14 11:21:08 1996
• Orig file: v1.3.88/linux/drivers/scsi/README.FlashPoint
• Orig date: Thu Jan 1 02:00:00 1970

diff -u --recursive --new-file v1.3.88/linux/drivers/scsi/README.FlashPoint linux/drivers/scsi/README.FlashPoint
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+
+				 ANNOUNCEMENT
+		  BusLogic FlashPoint/BT-948 Upgrade Program
+				1 February 1996
+
+Ever since its introduction last October, the BusLogic FlashPoint LT has
+been problematic for members of the Linux community, in that no Linux
+drivers have been available for this new Ultra SCSI product.  Despite it's
+officially being positioned as a desktop workstation product, and not being
+particularly well suited for a high performance multitasking operating
+system like Linux, the FlashPoint LT has been touted by computer system
+vendors as the latest thing, and has been sold even on many of their high
+end systems, to the exclusion of the older MultiMaster products.  This has
+caused grief for many people who inadvertently purchased a system expecting
+that all BusLogic SCSI Host Adapters were supported by Linux, only to
+discover that the FlashPoint was not supported and would not be for quite
+some time, if ever.
+
+After this problem was identified, BusLogic contacted its major OEM
+customers to make sure the BT-946C/956C MultiMaster cards would still be
+made available, and that Linux users who mistakenly ordered systems with
+the FlashPoint would be able to upgrade to the BT-946C.  While this helped
+many purchasers of new systems, it was only a partial solution to the
+overall problem of FlashPoint support for Linux users.  It did nothing to
+assist the people who initially purchased a FlashPoint for a supported
+operating system and then later decided to run Linux, or those who had
+ended up with a FlashPoint LT, believing it was supported, and were unable
+to return it.
+
+In the middle of December, I asked to meet with BusLogic's senior
+management to discuss the issues related to Linux and free software support
+for the FlashPoint.  Rumors of varying accuracy had been circulating
+publicly about BusLogic's attitude toward the Linux community, and I felt
+it was best that these issues be addressed directly.  I sent an email
+message after 11pm one evening, and the meeting took place the next
+afternoon.  Unfortunately, corporate wheels sometimes grind slowly,
+especially when a company is being acquired, and so it's taken until now
+before the details were completely determined and a public statement could
+be made.
+
+BusLogic is not prepared at this time to release the information necessary
+for third parties to write drivers for the FlashPoint.  The only existing
+FlashPoint drivers have been written directly by BusLogic Engineering, and
+there is no FlashPoint documentation sufficiently detailed to allow outside
+developers to write a driver without substantial assistance.  While there
+are people at BusLogic who would rather not release the details of the
+FlashPoint architecture at all, that debate has not yet been settled either
+way.  In any event, even if documentation were available today it would
+take quite a while for a usable driver to be written, especially since I'm
+not convinced that the effort required would be worthwhile.
+
+However, BusLogic does remain committed to providing a high performance
+SCSI solution for the Linux community, and does not want to see anyone left
+unable to run Linux because they have a Flashpoint LT.  Therefore, BusLogic
+has put in place a direct upgrade program to allow any Linux user worldwide
+to trade in their FlashPoint LT for the new BT-948 MultiMaster PCI Ultra
+SCSI Host Adapter.  The BT-948 is the Ultra SCSI successor to the BT-946C
+and has all the best features of both the BT-946C and FlashPoint LT,
+including smart termination and a flash PROM for easy firmware updates, and
+is of course compatible with the present Linux driver.  The price for this
+upgrade has been set at US $45, and the upgrade program will be
+administered through BusLogic Technical Support, which can be reached by
+electronic mail at techsup@buslogic.com, by Voice at +1 408 654-0760, or by
+FAX at +1 408 492-1542.
+
+I was a beta test site for the BT-948 and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of my
+BusLogic driver already include latent support for the BT-948.  Additional
+cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards will be added in a
+subsequent release.  As a result of this cooperative testing process,
+several firmware bugs were found and corrected (make sure you have firmware
+version 5.05R or later).  My heavily loaded Linux test system provided an
+ideal environment for testing error recovery processes that are much more
+rarely exercised in production systems, but are crucial to overall system
+stability.  It was especially convenient being able to work directly with
+their firmware engineer in demonstrating the problems under control of the
+firmware debugging environment; things sure have come a long way since the
+last time I worked on firmware for an embedded system.  I am presently
+working on some performance testing and expect to have some data to report
+in the not too distant future.
+
+BusLogic asked me to send this announcement since a large percentage of the
+questions regarding support for the FlashPoint have either been sent to me
+directly via email, or have appeared in the Linux newsgroups in which I
+participate.  To summarize, BusLogic is offering Linux users an upgrade
+from the unsupported FlashPoint LT (BT-930) to the supported BT-948 for US
+$45.  Contact BusLogic Technical Support at techsup@buslogic.com or +1 408
+654-0760 to take advantage of their offer.
+
+		Leonard N. Zubkoff
+		lnz@dandelion.com