compatible COMPAQ disk for Aphaserver DS10

[Nguyen Duc Hoang]

One of our Alphaserver DS10 disks has failed, the DKC200:, the model of this disk has the following parametters:
Capacity: 9.1 GB, 7200 RPM, Wide Ultra2 SCSI We are going to replace with a new disk, but with difference of parametters:
Capacity: 72.8 GB, 10000 RPM, Wide Ultra320 SCSI
Could you please advise us wether this new disk can be compatible with the shadow disk and hosts.

[Jan van den Ende]

Nguyen,

That depends on your VMS version.

Starting with V7.3-2 this is possible, with lower versions it is NOT possible.

hth

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Hein van den Heuvel]

"the model of this disk has the following parametters:"

How about the EXACT modelS.

Internal or External (brick)?

And as Jan asks, you may as well throw in the OpenVMS version, incase it is ancient.

You may well have a 'voltage' problem, the old drive possibly being Single Ended (and 'high' 5 volt) and the new drive expecting possibly LVD.

When I did a similar replacement I needed a little dongle to make it work. For example:

http://www.computercablesource.com/detail.aspx?ID=850

"SCSI Adapters - Internal and External : SCSI SCA Adapter - SCA-80 Female to HD-68 Female, Internal, LVD/SE Ultra 320 "

As you see ... pretty much Anything - Anything.
Other flavors exist. Dirt cheap ($5 - $15)

fwiw,
Hein.

[Hoff]

Do post the requested information. Disk part numbers, OpenVMS Alpha version, etc.

Both details make a big difference.

Here, do also indicate which SCSI controller is in use.

There are two versions of AlphaServer DS10 series box around. There's the one with the in-built (non-removable) disk storage, and there is a second variation of the AlphaServer DS10 box with a (three-slot, IIRC) front-access "Universal" storage disk cage. The Compaq Universal" disk bricks are generally interchangeable.

Internal disk drives and SCSI controllers can vary.

Use of host-based volume shadowing (HBVS) here will require you to use dissimilar device shadowing (DDS) and probably also dynamic volume expansion (DVE) features with your existing disks. Without engaging and using DDS, you can't shadow a 9.1 GB drive with a 72.8 GB drive. (And in either case, you can only use 9.1 GB of your 72.8 GB drive.)

I'd probably not bother with HBVS of 9.1 GB on the other spindles; I'd probably start the wholesale replacement of the 9.1 GB drives here. You can use HBVS and DDS to migrate from 9.1 GB to the full use of the 72.8 GB disks as you replace the existing 9.1 GB drives in the HBVS shadowset, or you can use BACKUP /IMAGE and a shipment of three 72.8 GB drives and move over in one transfer.

StorageWorks disk and shelf intro:

http://64.223.189.234/node/54

--

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC