| .. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 |
| |
| =================================== |
| The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Driver |
| =================================== |
| |
| The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Host Adapters are now fully supported on Linux. |
| The upgrade program described below has been officially terminated effective |
| 31 March 1997 since it is no longer needed. |
| |
| :: |
| |
| MYLEX INTRODUCES LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR ITS |
| BUSLOGIC FLASHPOINT LINE OF SCSI HOST ADAPTERS |
| |
| |
| FREMONT, CA, -- October 8, 1996 -- Mylex Corporation has expanded Linux |
| operating system support to its BusLogic brand of FlashPoint Ultra SCSI |
| host adapters. All of BusLogic's other SCSI host adapters, including the |
| MultiMaster line, currently support the Linux operating system. Linux |
| drivers and information will be available on October 15th at |
| http://sourceforge.net/projects/dandelion/. |
| |
| "Mylex is committed to supporting the Linux community," says Peter Shambora, |
| vice president of marketing for Mylex. "We have supported Linux driver |
| development and provided technical support for our host adapters for several |
| years, and are pleased to now make our FlashPoint products available to this |
| user base." |
| |
| The Linux Operating System |
| ========================== |
| |
| Linux is a freely-distributed implementation of UNIX for Intel x86, Sun |
| SPARC, SGI MIPS, Motorola 68k, Digital Alpha AXP and Motorola PowerPC |
| machines. It supports a wide range of software, including the X Window |
| System, Emacs, and TCP/IP networking. Further information is available at |
| http://www.linux.org and http://www.ssc.com/. |
| |
| FlashPoint Host Adapters |
| ======================== |
| |
| The FlashPoint family of Ultra SCSI host adapters, designed for workstation |
| and file server environments, are available in narrow, wide, dual channel, |
| and dual channel wide versions. These adapters feature SeqEngine |
| automation technology, which minimizes SCSI command overhead and reduces |
| the number of interrupts generated to the CPU. |
| |
| About Mylex |
| =========== |
| |
| Mylex Corporation (NASDAQ/NM SYMBOL: MYLX), founded in 1983, is a leading |
| producer of RAID technology and network management products. The company |
| produces high performance disk array (RAID) controllers, and complementary |
| computer products for network servers, mass storage systems, workstations |
| and system boards. Through its wide range of RAID controllers and its |
| BusLogic line of Ultra SCSI host adapter products, Mylex provides enabling |
| intelligent I/O technologies that increase network management control, |
| enhance CPU utilization, optimize I/O performance, and ensure data security |
| and availability. Products are sold globally through a network of OEMs, |
| major distributors, VARs, and system integrators. Mylex Corporation is |
| headquartered at 34551 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, CA. |
| |
| Contact: |
| ======== |
| |
| :: |
| |
| Peter Shambora |
| Vice President of Marketing |
| Mylex Corp. |
| 510/796-6100 |
| peters@mylex.com |
| |
| |
| :: |
| |
| ANNOUNCEMENT |
| BusLogic FlashPoint LT/BT-948 Upgrade Program |
| 1 February 1996 |
| |
| ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT |
| BusLogic FlashPoint LW/BT-958 Upgrade Program |
| 14 June 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 its |
| 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 plus shipping and handling, 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. |
| |
| As of 14 June 1996, the original BusLogic FlashPoint LT to BT-948 upgrade |
| program has now been extended to encompass the FlashPoint LW Wide Ultra |
| SCSI Host Adapter. Any Linux user worldwide may trade in their FlashPoint |
| LW (BT-950) for a BT-958 MultiMaster PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter. The |
| price for this upgrade has been set at US $65 plus shipping and handling. |
| |
| I was a beta test site for the BT-948/958, and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of |
| my BusLogic driver already included latent support for the BT-948/958. |
| Additional cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards was added |
| subsequent releases. As a result of this cooperative testing process, |
| several firmware bugs were found and corrected. 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 plus shipping and handling, or from the unsupported FlashPoint LW |
| (BT-950) to the supported BT-958 for $65 plus shipping and handling. |
| 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 |
