Hello,
About two weeks ago, I've asked for an SCSI upgrade advice here.
Now I did it and I just want to briefly summarize how it went
and what I exactly did:
Previous config: PC164, 256MB RAM, 2 * NCR 810 based SCSI controllers,
1 ST51080 system disk, 2 user disks, 2 DAT streamer (HP 1533), 1 CD-ROM
all devices external, distributed over the two SCSI channels, DU 4.0b.
What I did was:
1.) Purchased an IntraServer ITI3140 single channel, UW controller
with a Digital Unix driver kit which replaces the first NCR 810
controller.
One thing to check here is that the controller is labelled
"ITI3140-8" on a white sticker at the back of the board. If you
happen to get a ITI3140-4, you're out of luck under Digital Unix.
IntraServer support was very helpful with that and my local dealer
managed to get a replacement controller from the US in about a week.
2.) Purchased a ST34501W 4GB Cheetah with 10000 upm, Ultra Wide.
Mounted the disk inside the Alpha case and additionally
mounted a specially built front plate with two additional small
4cmX4cm fans for cooling. Noise is no problem as the machine is
in the machine room, next door.
The reason for mouting it internally is that WIDE SCSI cases
as well as external WIDE SCSI cables are still rediculously
expensive.
So I needed only an internal WIDE cable and an external 68-pin
wide to 50-pin narrow adapter cable. Be sure to get an
adapter cable without a built-in terminator!!
Another problem is that the IntraServer 68-pin wide
external SCSI connector has screws for mounting the connector
rather than sort of snaps (right word?) these high density
connectors usually have.
So my current cable doesn't sit very tight on the connector
and I'm looking for getting another one in the next days.
3.) SRM console recognizes harddisk without problems. Booting
is possible without problems and without the IntraServer
driver.
4.) Installed the IntraServer driver. Without Problems.
5.) New ST34501W is rz2. Partition new disk with "diskconfig",
make new filesystems like this:
# mkfset newroot_domain /dev/rz2a
# mkfdmn newroot_domain root
# mkfset newusr_domain /dev/rz2g
# mkfdmn newusr_domain usr
# mount newroot_domain#root /mnt/root
# mount newusr_domain#usr /mnt/usr
6.) Copy old system disk to new system disk:
# vdump 0uf - / | vrestore -x -f - -D /mnt/root
# vdump 0uf - /usr | vrestore -x -f - -D /mnt/usr
Modify mount points on new disk:
# cd /mnt/root/etc/fdmns
# rm -rf root_domain usr_domain
# mv newroot_domain root_domain
# mv newusr_domain usr_domain
7.) Shutdown and reboot from the new disk.
Voila and ready ......
All in all the downtime was about 1 hour (excluding troubleshooting
the wrong SCSI controller version) !!! Copying of the old
system disk to the new system disk was done in multiuser mode
without any problems. Try that under Windows NT !! :-)
And here are the results:
# cd /usr
# bonnie -s 400
File './Bonnie.1231', size: 419430400
Writing with putc()...done
Rewriting...done
Writing intelligently...done
Reading with getc()...done
Reading intelligently...done
Seeker 1...Seeker 2...Seeker 3...start 'em...done...done...done...
-------Sequential Output-------- ---Sequential Input-- --Random--
-Per Char- --Block--- -Rewrite-- -Per Char- --Block--- --Seeks---
Machine MB K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU /sec %CPU
400 8736 71.5 13062 26.3 4342 8.1 12693 89.3 15405 14.5 213.2 3.2
15MB/s max. is about what I expected from this system.
Conclusion: All in all it was a rather painless upgrade which really
boosts system disk I/O a lot. The only problem was that IntraServer
sent me the wrong controller in the first run which caused some headaches
and about 1 hour of unnecessary troubleshooting but their support (Kevin)
was very helpful and fast.
One final step I just did was to move all harddisks to the new
controller and leave only the slow devices like tapes and the cd-rom
on the old NCR810 controller.
Hope this helps anyone -- Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
T o m L e i t n e r Dept. of Communications
Graz University of Technology,
e-mail : tom_at_finwds01.tu-graz.ac.at Inffeldgasse 12
Phone : +43-316-873-7455 A-8010 Graz / Austria / Europe
Fax : +43-316-463-697
Home page :
http://wiis.tu-graz.ac.at/people/tom.html
PGP public key on :
ftp://wiis.tu-graz.ac.at/pgp-keys/tom.asc or send
mail with subject "get Thomas Leitner" to pgp-public-keys_at_keys.pgp.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before we have the paperless office, we have the paperless toilet!
Received on Thu Oct 30 1997 - 18:54:33 NZDT