3df2c103   
   28c07074   
   From: kevin.bowling@kev009.com   
      
   On 2/4/26 6:01 AM, Louis Ohland wrote:   
   > Folks, I've dabbled in a number of arcane devices over the decades.   
   > Sifting through IBM Technoslovakian -AND- poorly written ad copy   
   > sharpens one's perception [or destroys it...].   
   >   
   > Mylex discriminates between one CHIP and two CHIP DAC960. Why isn't that   
   > SOCKET? Further, one can see two socket DAC960 with one EEPROM.   
   >   
   > So, while Peter has come up with a Baron Von Münchhausen class of   
   > fantastical story, it seems quite possumble...   
   >   
   > Some other oorts to run down...   
   >   
   >  From Peter   
   > https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware/c/KxhTry9mGY0/m/   
   > pBFBIj3B9NwJ   
   >   
   > The only -probably working but yet untested- method to get the old   
   > single-flash 960P to a BIOS 3.x seem to include externally copying of   
   > the 28F1001 chips. You need two chips, erase them, then copy the   
   > firmware with an Eprommer into the lower / upper 128K. Each chip is 128K   
   > x 8 bit. The one actually present on the 960P is only the lower. The   
   > socket for the upper memory range is yet unpopulated.   
   >   
   > I'd tried stuffing in an empty 128K chip into that socket and then flash   
   > to 3.x but the only thing I got was a Raid-Adapter firmware error with   
   > the second chip installed right after power on and the "Flasher"   
   > software refused to run the upgrade.   
   >   
   > Too bad.   
      
   The DAC960 in MCA guise is interesting but in PCI land it is not very.   
   PCI had a long life span so options open up quite a bit aside from some   
   occasional compatibility oddities on very early systems (2.0 vs newer,   
   voltage, option ROM leading to a bootable system).   
      
   These days, the IBM ServerRAID series are readily available for tens of   
   dollars.  If you get a 3L or newer they have pretty wide OS support   
   including Linux and BSD.  If you don't need array, Symbios/LSI SCSI   
   cards took over the NCR SCSI heritage and are great.  Adaptec cards are   
   also generally good and plentiful.   
      
   I find those to be pretty good but there are cheap PCI SATA and eSATA   
   options as well like the SIL3124.  This can open the door to easy SSD   
   conversion.   
      
   Regards,   
   Kevin   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)