>> > I'm not trying to come across as peeved here, but telling someone
>> > "I used it months ago and it was buggy so don't get it" isn't exactly
>> > doing them any good. I'll agree, there are bugs in the driver more than
>> > likely still, but there are bugs in a lot of the kernel code in general...

>> There are lots of reasons not to by Adaptec products.  Unless they
>> have finally relented and started releasing their technical
>> documentation without requiring people to sign NDAs, I think it's
>> entirely reasonable to recommend somebody else's product instead.

>So which SCSI adapter manufacturer has a more liberal information release
>policy?  I'm in the market for a PCI SCSI fast wide controller that I can
>use under NetBSD for normal use and under Windows95 for direct to disk
>video recording.  What should I buy?

Up to this point, it has been BusLogic.  And, I have been an advocate
of BusLogic products because they work, the driver's solid, they're
well built, they were very helpful when I wanted to fix some things in
NetBSD SCSI driver a few years back, and they were open.  There are
rumors, lately, that they are going closed with their new FlashPoint
controllers.  I don't know of anyone yet who has seriously tried to
get programming info out of them for the FlashPoints, but people have
suggested that it might not be easy (possible?) without an NDA.

Adaptec has been very closed in the past with their newer-generation
controllers (2xxx).  People lately have claimed that they have
loosened up their policies on the 2xxx cards.  Others have claimed
that the info they'll give without NDA still isn't enough.

The older-generation BusLogic controllers (non-FlashPoint) are quite
stable, and well-built.  The NetBSD driver for them is very stable and
mature.  They aren't optimized as much as the Adaptec 2xxx cards and
the newer FlashPoint cards, however.  They have a higher command
overhead, which could mean higher latency on very high-speed disks.
In the real world, with disks most normal people can afford, though, I
don't know if this will be noticeable.  I certainly have been happy
with the performance on my BusLogic controllers (one EISA and one
PCI).

Your mileage may vary yadda yadda yadda...

FYI: One other PCI controller worth mentioning are the NCR 53c8xx
(810, 815, 825) controllers.  They're very inexpensive, the
performance is good, and their specs are completely open.
Unfortunately, the driver for those is somewhat unstable under heavy
load.  There currently are not drivers for any other SCSI controllers
in NetBSD, except for a few PIO cards (read slow), unless you can find
a 100% Adaptec or BusLogic compatible card (promises are made to be
broken...).  DPT has contacted some of the FreeBSD developers about a
port of the BSDI DPT SCSI driver.  That might be a very cool port for
NetBSD to get in on, but it won't be available tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Michael L. VanLoon                                 michaelv@HeadCandy.com
        --<  Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x  >--
    NetBSD working ports: 386+PC, Mac 68k, Amiga, Atari 68k, HP300, Sun3,
        Sun4/4c/4m, DEC MIPS, DEC Alpha, PC532, VAX, MVME68k, arm32...
    NetBSD ports in progress: PICA, others...

   Roll your own Internet access -- Seattle People's Internet cooperative.
                  If you're in the Seattle area, ask me how.
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