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HP OpenVMS Systemsask the wizard |
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The Question is: Will a Quantum DLT4000 drive work with my Alpha 1200 running VMS 7.2, or do I need to specifically get the Digital/Compaq branded TZ88? (I always buy the Digital branded items....but I have a chance to get a new Quantun DLT4000 from another department in the college.) Thanks, Joseph The Answer is : Yes, you can certainly purchase third-party "generic" SCSI disks for your OpenVMS system. If you purchase third-party "generic" SCSI devices, you and your SCSI device vendor will be responsible for the testing and the support of the devices. Compaq will address problems in the host interface (any changes necessary that will also not prevent operations with supported devices, of course), but you and the device vendor are responsible for problems in the device and device interface. Realize that SCSI is not a standard interface, it is a collection of optionally-implemented and standardized interface features. You should not and can not simply assume that all SCSI devices are interchangeable. Each SCSI host contains non-trivial SCSI driver software, and each SCSI device contains equally non-trivial firmware -- taken together with the mechanical and electronic components, this software and firmware will communicate storage-related requests using the standard SCSI protocol. Hosts and devices have various optionally-implemented features, and both also implement vendor-specific protocol extensions for operations outside those explicitly specified in the SCSI protocol. In some cases, certain devices perform functions that will require them to use SCSI commands that are (hopefully) architecturally-compatible SCSI command extensions. Integration and testing work is mandatory with each new SCSI device, and there can be no certainty that any particular SCSI device will operate as expected in any particular configuration without first performing this (non-trivial) work. Please review the previous discussions of third-party SCSI device support issues here in Ask The Wizard.
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