Re: Mylex DAC960 SCSI RAID controller PCI card

Barry OGrady wrote:
On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:04:45 -0400, Ben Myers <ben_myers@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Barry OGrady wrote:
Sorry to post this in c.s.h.h but I can't find any IBM server or Mylex
specific groups.

I have a Mylex DAC960 SCSI RAID controller PCI card installed in
an IBM xSeries 330. I have an external 4mm DAT drive connected
and it seems to be working as it should.
Documentation says I should get the following prompts before Windows
starts to load;
Press alt-M to configure, and press alt-R to configure RAID.
I get the alt-M prompt and pressing alt-M gives only 3 options.
I don't get the alt-R prompt so I can't configure RAID.
It does tell me that it can't find a device connected to 2 of the ports.
I assume that is because it is configured that way but I can't get
into RAID setup to check.
Why don't I get the alt-R prompt?

Barry
Barry,

I have not used a DAC960 for a very long time. But here is what I can recall.

If the controller tells you it cannot find a device connected to 2 of the ports, this message really means what it says. So there is a real hardware problem preventing this from happening. Possibilities are two definitely faulty devices that are no starting properly, incorrect and maybe duplicate SCSI IDs, or some vague SCSI bus/termination problems.

I should have explained that it is just a hobby thing for me so it is not
essential that I get it working.
There are no hard drives connected though I did try an external 36 GB
hard drive. It appears that the card may have a 9 GB per disk limitation.

I would also suggest that the DAT drive be attached separately to an Adaptec 2940U or 2940UW adapter, to free up the Mylex to do its RAID job, and maybe even to eliminate a SCSI adress or bus problem. Adaptec 2940/2940UW adapters are cheap and easy these days.

The IBM xseries 330 has only two PCI slots, one of which is occupied
by a video card.

Mylex got bought by IBM a number of years ago, but I seem to recall IBM divesting itself of the Mylex/Buslogic acquistion later on, selling off to LSI Logic maybe?

LSI's website has some information on Mylex cards.

Your help is appreciated but given the age of the card and the fact that
its only a hobby thing for me I won't worry too much about it.

... Ben Myers

Barry
=====
Home page
http://members.iinet.net.au/~barry.og

With the card being an elderly DAC960, the odds of this being mission-critical were miniscule. If you are not doing any RAID at all, better to replace the DAC960 with a more mainstream but not very contemporary Adaptec 2940-series. Really. They are chump change these days and supported well by just about any operating system and utility software... Ben Myers
.

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