IBM ultrastar replacement anyone ?

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4 total messages Started by Rainer Kleinrensing Fri, 25 Aug 1995 13:18

#127

Author: Rainer Kleinrensing
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 13:18

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Hello there,
a few weeks ago there was a discussion about the IBM Ultrastar/Starfire
drives shipped with SGI systems and their "stiction" problems.

Does anybody have such a drive replaced by SGI ? Are the replacement drives
free of that problem (and if so, how can I recognize them ?)

BTW, our drive is a 2GB IBM DFHSS2F 4C43 (reported by fx).

Thanks for any hints,
  Rainer

--

   Rainer Kleinrensing,    rainer@mathematik.uni-freiburg.de
   Institute for Applied Mathematics              Phone: +49-761-203-5639 
   Hermann-Herder-Str. 10                         Fax: +49-761-203-5632
   Freiburg University
   79104 Freiburg / Brsg., Germany

Re: IBM ultrastar replacement anyone ?

#128

Author: Dave Olson
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 1995 23:41

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rainer@mathematik.uni-freiburg.de (Rainer Kleinrensing) writes:
| a few weeks ago there was a discussion about the IBM Ultrastar/Starfire
| drives shipped with SGI systems and their "stiction" problems.
| 
| Does anybody have such a drive replaced by SGI ? Are the replacement drives
| free of that problem (and if so, how can I recognize them ?)

The worst of the problem is fixed (it was about a 10 week run of drives).
There is still some incidence of stiction, but it's much reduced, and the
4C43 firmware will usually break the stiction loose when it occurs.  With
the sgi patch466 workaround, the incidence is even lower.

At some point in the future, the problem will be fixed "completely" (quotes
because stiction will always occur on some number of drives, sooner or later,
but it's usually a vary small fraction of drive failures).
--

The most beautiful things in the world | Dave Olson, Silicon Graphics
are those from which all excess weight | http://reality.sgi.com/employees/olson
has been removed.  -Henry Ford         | olson@sgi.com

Re: IBM ultrastar replacement anyone ?

#129

Author: Digital Illusion
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 00:53

18 lines
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In article <41qvs0$ea1@gazette.engr.sgi.com>,
Dave Olson <olson@anchor.engr.sgi.com> wrote:
>rainer@mathematik.uni-freiburg.de (Rainer Kleinrensing) writes:
>
>At some point in the future, the problem will be fixed "completely" (quotes
>because stiction will always occur on some number of drives, sooner or later,
>but it's usually a vary small fraction of drive failures).
>--
>
>The most beautiful things in the world | Dave Olson, Silicon Graphics
>are those from which all excess weight | http://reality.sgi.com/employees/olson
>has been removed.  -Henry Ford         | olson@sgi.com


What do we do about drives that we've had use the frisbee toss on?
Will sgi replace those ones?

Deanan

Re: IBM ultrastar replacement anyone ?

#130

Author: Dave Olson
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 05:24

20 lines
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delusion@netcom.com (Digital Illusion) writes:
| What do we do about drives that we've had use the frisbee toss on?
| Will sgi replace those ones?

Any drive requiring the frisbee toss should be replaced.  There has
been some confusion about this internally, particularly in support, but
engineering is pretty adamant about this one (and the IBM reps seem
to agree also).  That said, if it wasn't an SGI person who either
did it, or told you to do it, things could get slightly dicey if
the drive fails altogether (too rough a treatment).  With plain old
stiction, the data can "always" be recovered, but too much shock treatment
can trash the media.

Please note that this isn't an official sgi statement, but I believe it
to be true (and I was fairly involved with the whole mess).
--

The most beautiful things in the world | Dave Olson, Silicon Graphics
are those from which all excess weight | http://reality.sgi.com/employees/olson
has been removed.  -Henry Ford         | olson@sgi.com

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