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SCSI Microchannel card compatible with IBM PS2 / P70 stuff?

J

jc179

Experienced Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
99
Hi everyone

Looking for some help to get a bootable device working again for my P70. I have been looking for a SCSI microchannel card that has ADF files available to use as a boot device in my P70, given the ESDI disk is on its way out.

I want to be able to boot off SCSI.

I've found a few for sale, but am not sure if any would work...

One is a Mountain branded QIC card, which has SCSI one, and ADF files, but I do not see a EPROM chip on it (ev 27C64), so I suspect there'd be no INT hook available for booting ??

The other is from non intel based RS6000 machine... p/n 11H4779 11H4780, I am unable to find out the chipset on the card, which I am debating the possibility of erase the UV EPROM and reprogram it with an x86 arch one?

3 images are attached, 1 is of the Mountain QIC card, the other 2 lower are the RS6000 SCSI2 card.

#############

Mountain QIC based SCSI card (external, but internal 50 pin connector looks like it might be live! )
mountain-qic.jpg

RS6000 SCSI2 based Microchannel card - best picture I can find, the PN on the silver chip doesn't match any ADF sources I've found though.
Unable to read the WDC chip.
s-l1600.jpg

second picture of RS6000 scsi card

s-l1600 (2).jpg


thanks,
Jonathan
 
NeXT said:
ISTR that QIC-02 was a gimped version of SCSI specifically for tape drives, so that won't be of any use to you.

The FRU for the other SCSI board (11H4780) comes back with a full spec sheet on ardent-tool but does not list any BIOS-type boot support.

ardent-tool.com

SCSI-2 SE High Performance Internal/External I/O Controller (Type 4-4)

ardent-tool.com ardent-tool.com
Click to expand...
Thanks very much, seems that both of those are a no go situ at the moment!
Need to improve my ardent searching skills too it seems : / !



edit: Did some digging and found this on the ardent site;

Empty PLCC Socket
The PLCC Socket U7 was possibly to provide a RS/6000 BIOS, and the jumper J5 might have been to enable it. RS/6000 documentation says that the PLCC socket is unused.
The 4-4 SCSI-2 SE High Performance Adapter has a chip (P/N 52G7507) in the PLCC socket. The 4-4 is the only F/W related SCSI adapter to have the PLCC chip installed.
https://ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/SCSI-FW.html
Click to expand...

Its a bit of a gamble but maybe removing u7 might be worth a try?

Other thought is to find one that I can hook up internally, vs using the rear scsi card port and routing that back inside.

Maybe I can use this to figure out the pinout and route it to a regular scsi connector?

https://ardent-tool.com/IBM_SCSI/SCSI_MCA_Signals.html


Jonathan
 
Last edited:
booboo said:
Your best bet is to use the IBM PS/2 controller as used on Model 60, 80, 90, such as this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255838762118

The Future Domain are the other option, but generally sell for well over US$150.
Click to expand...
thanks very much for pointing that one out, seems a bit more reasonable.

I found a Procom SCSI card (BA0046) as well, which has a 50 pin internal connector, but it will cost me about CAD$200 here.. probably same cost as the future domain cards.
 
I will send them an email to inquire but:

Chuck(G) said:
Woiuldn't an Adaptec AHA-1640 be a good solution? There seem to be some scattered around--if you can trust web-based inventories.
Click to expand...
I've also tried emailing a few various lists, including some 'computer exchange trade " which I later found out sells all the stuff on ebay for ~200CAD landed here too, nothing else available otherwise.

Absolutely the AHA-1640 would be perfect - I hoped on the link you sent for one for $55, but when I scrolled down it says sold out in a grey box underneath the qty button.

But yeah if I could find something like that for sale at that price I'd absolutely buy it... I just can't find it at that price....

Jonathan
 
SCSI cards are a little pricey for MCA (bootable ones anyway). I might have one spare laying around but would have to look.
 
jc179 said:
The other is from non intel based RS6000 machine... p/n 11H4779 11H4780, I am unable to find out the chipset on the card, which I am debating the possibility of erase the UV EPROM and reprogram it with an x86 arch one?



RS6000 SCSI2 based Microchannel card - best picture I can find, the PN on the silver chip doesn't match any ADF sources I've found though. Unable to read the WDC chip.
View attachment 1250877

second picture of RS6000 scsi card
Click to expand...
The 4-4 is a rarity, an IBM SCSI card with an HPDB50 external port. The silver ASIC is 32G0215 Ink Printed - 95-ish mfr, which usually means the WD33C93B is the "00-04" version. This is a Fast-Narrow SCSI-2 controller. Only problem, this is an RS/6000 card, so no ADF. We need an AIX alpha geek to get the ODM values for this.
 
Last edited:
ardent-blue said:
The 4-4 is a rarity, an IBM SCSI card with an HPDB50 external port. The silver ASIC is 32G0215 Ink Printed - 95-ish mfr, which usually means the WD33C93B is the "00-04" version. This is a Fast-Narrow SCSI-2 controller. Only problem, this is an RS/6000 card, so no ADF. We need an AIX alpha geek to get the ODM values for this.
Click to expand...
I have AIX on a RS6000 model 7011 (has microchannel for sure), and a P5 (probably not microchannel).
Would you have anymore info on ODM values are in this case? Maybe I can buy the card, pop it into the RS6000 and extract that somehow?

Jonathan
 
Back when my main computer was a P70, I put a Future Domain MCS-600 in it, which fits nicely into the short slot. It also has a socket for a ROM chip. These were sold rebranded by IBM as a Fast SCSI-2 adapter.

Got that card for $25 back in 1996 from Hi Tech back before they moved to Reno.
 
I have the rs6000 card you linked above. Purchased it to put in my ps2 55sx but have not gotten around to it yet. Here are pictures of the chips let me know if you want any more
 

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I cracked open my 55sx and it is asking me for a "description file for adapter" . I need to throw files onto a floppy to update the configuration. I have no idea where to find these spent some time trying to locate. Any ideas where I could find them?
 
Well I learned a lot this afternoon! Sorry I was so late to the party I didn't know that IBM used Microchannel in anything but PS/2. The card I have is for the RS6000 series of servers and there are no ADF files for use with PS/2 only Linux drivers. My understanding of ADF is they are basically drivers for Microchannel devices. Man IBM was really trying to stick it to everyone who had copied their systems sheesh talk about making everything proprietary. I wanted a PS/2 in my collection because of how significant it was introducing VGA and PS2 interfaces for mouse and keyboard. Was a pain to get up and running with its dallas clock needed a haircut and some wires to get a battery to it. Right now my esdi drive in the system is functioning well and is quiet. I wanted to get SCSI in there for the eventuality of it going up. Looks like this card will not do right now unfortunately. jc179 Jonathan if you are interested in it I would gladly give it to you as one retro nerd to another PM me if you are and I can get your details. I'll try to source another SCSI card that will work on the PS/2 line. Now if I could only get the dang ALPS floppy drive working in that thing......always something to work on
 
IBM MCA SCSI cards are generally fast, but infuriating due to the types of ports they use. You almost always need to track down an adapter to use one with your devices. The Adaptec AHA-1640 isn't the fastest (16-bit card), but it is bootable and uses a standard SCSI-2 50pin external connector and 50-pin IDC ribbon internal connector.

Fun Fact: The AHA-1640 was OEM equipment on the Leading Edge Model D3/MC.
 
I looked that card up last night and there are two examples online right now for unobtainium asking prices. I did some research and searching some more and found this example for 30 bucks shipped:

A28C98C4-E8E5-4A6E-A2CE-10510935C220.png

Here are details of it from ardent:

www.ardent-tool.com

Trantor T-228

www.ardent-tool.com www.ardent-tool.com

One thing of note is that it says it is bootable if no other drives are in the computer and has internal 50 pin header. I am going to give this a shot when it arrives
 
I had a Trantor T-228 a while ago. Uses an NCR chipset and performs similarly. I think I got it since it worked well with Linux NCR drivers at the time, but that was pushing 25 years ago.
 
mbliss11 said:
Well I learned a lot this afternoon! Sorry I was so late to the party I didn't know that IBM used Microchannel in anything but PS/2. The card I have is for the RS6000 series of servers and there are no ADF files for use with PS/2 only Linux drivers. My understanding of ADF is they are basically drivers for Microchannel devices. Man IBM was really trying to stick it to everyone who had copied their systems sheesh talk about making everything proprietary. I wanted a PS/2 in my collection because of how significant it was introducing VGA and PS2 interfaces for mouse and keyboard. Was a pain to get up and running with its dallas clock needed a haircut and some wires to get a battery to it. Right now my esdi drive in the system is functioning well and is quiet. I wanted to get SCSI in there for the eventuality of it going up. Looks like this card will not do right now unfortunately. jc179 Jonathan if you are interested in it I would gladly give it to you as one retro nerd to another PM me if you are and I can get your details. I'll try to source another SCSI card that will work on the PS/2 line. Now if I could only get the dang ALPS floppy drive working in that thing......always something to work on
Click to expand...
Minor correction, an ADF is not a driver but rather a file that tells the system the resources that the MCA card will use (along with all the pretty text in the configuration screens). You'll still need a real system device driver :)
 
Thanks for the clarification! Makes sense you would still need driver for OS to communicate with it
 
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