Anthony's drive issues.Re: ssh password delay

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org wrote:
> Ted Mittelstaedt writes:
>
>> In a case like this it is very likely a BSD driver issue - why,
>> because the FreeBSD driver author could not test with every
>> custom-modified microcode when he wrote the driver. There is no list
>> out there of every computer company who has had a source license to
>> the Adaptec microcode and made modifications to it. And naturally you
>> would assume that anyone making mods to the SCSI microcode would have
>> the brains not to break it. In this case that didn't happen. Most
>> likely HP modified the Adaptec microcode because of bugs in the disks
>> that they were supplying with the original Vectras.
>
> I wouldn't automatically assume that there were _bugs_ in the disks.
>

Not for the Seagate that you have but as I've said before I've had
problems with Quantum SCSI disk drives on other controllers, in
different systems, and even on NT.

And, HP used to manufacture their own SCSI disks, as
I recall they stopped doing it sometime around that era.  They put
special firmware that supported some extra features in the HP 6000
and S800/900 (like sector atomicity, patent EP565855, anyone remember
that) in them, and did that up until 1996.  I also recall issues with
the HP disks on certain controllers.  I suspect that some of those
Vectra servers were sold with HP disks in them.

>> ... and b) Anthony is convinced that his Vectra has an Adaptec
>> chipset and microcode that runs that chipset that is pefectly good
>> and identically compliant to every other Adaptec chipset ...
>
> I don't recall ever saying anything about the microcode, only the
> hardware.
>

OK, but let's just say that the way you were using the terminology
you wern't differentiating the microcode from the aic7880 chipset.
Granted, we on the list overlooked this as well - nobody asked
you early on to post the firmware versions of the Adaptec controller.
We all I think assumed that HP just used the Adaptec aic7880 with
the regular Adaptec firmware/microcode.

>> With that sort of attitude if he were to approach the author of the
>> ahc() driver he would be told to stick his head up his ass.
>
> Whereas Microsoft just modified the OS to accommodate the special
> microcode.  That's why Microsoft is number one.

You also pay Microsoft for their stuff - makes a big difference - my
guess
if you contacted the ahc() developer and offered to pay him the cost of
an NT server license he would be more than happy to mod the driver no
matter how much of an asshole you chose to be to him.  (or her)

In any case if you meet the driver author halfway and don't approach it
like it's his driver that's broken, but rather that your hardware isn't
exactly compliant, (regardless of what you really believe) you won't be
put into the anal insertion category.

Ted