FW: Proposal to add a new modifier to SCSI Write command (fwd)

John Lohmeyer - SCSI jlohmeye
Tue Dec 10 12:55:56 PST 1996


* From the SCSI Reflector (scsi at symbios.com), posted by:
* John Lohmeyer - SCSI <jlohmeye>
*
Another reply to the SCSI Reflector administrative address...

Dick Stack wrote:
>From owner-scsi-owner Mon Dec  2 16:47:58 1996
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 96 15:41:00 PST
From: Dick Stack <Dick_Stack at ccm.co.intel.com>
Message-ID: <Mon, 02 Dec 96 15:47:11 PST_8 at ccm.jf.intel.com>
To: scsi-owner at Symbios.COM
Subject: Re: FW: Proposal to add a new modifier to SCSI Write command


Text item: 

  In answer to Ken's question I would like to see the READ/WRITE LONG commands 
  preserved for diagnostic purposes.  My use is in qualification of drives and 
  controllers.
  
  Dick Stack
  Intel SSPD


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: FW: Proposal to add a new modifier to SCSI Write commands.
Author:  scsi-owner at Symbios.COM at SMTPGATE
Date:    12/2/96 1:21 PM


* From the SCSI Reflector (scsi at symbios.com), posted by:
* "Hallam, Ken                 MV" <KHallam at po2.mv.unisys.com>
*

Fellow SCSI-holics,

Does no one out there use READ/WRITE LONG commands for diagnostic purposes
anymore?( i.e. to create a specific type of ECC error to see if the drive
reports it correctly, or to read a reported bad block to see if it matches
the error that was provided previously.)

I agree that instances of operational software making use of these commands
are few or non-existent. If there are no others out there who use them for
diagnostics, we may have to reconsider our position vis a vis obsolescence.

Ken Hallam
Unisys
 ----------
From: scsi-owner
To: SCSI
Subject: Re: Proposal to add a new modifier to SCSI Write commands.
Date: Monday, December 02, 1996 1:55PM

* From the SCSI Reflector (scsi at symbios.com), posted by:
* coughlan at star.zko.dec.com (Tom)
*
In response to several recent posts on this topic:

If we (as representative OS developers) had reasonable certainty that Read
Long and Write Long would remain in the Standard, and that they would be
widely implemented, then we would continue to use them, and even invest in
more sophisticated algorithms for their use, as suggested by David Cohen.

As it stands, however, we have seen indications that the drive vendors
would like to obsolete the Read Long and Write Long commands, and
indications that implementation of the Long commands may be becoming less
wide-spread.  (My impression is that there are few RAID controllers, for
example, that implement the commands on their host interface.)

In this situation I have little interest in tailoring our software to deal
with the generality of the Long commands, and the need to dynamically
contend with per-drive variations in behavior.  Maybe this debate will
result in a more certain future for the Long commands.  If not, the forced
error proposal offers an alternative that is easier to implement and easier
to use, and so more likely to be implemented.

So, lets hear more from the drive vendors.  Has the response to this topic
convinced you that the Long commands are here to stay?

Gene described a desire to be able to detect when a malicious utility has
used Write Long to create errors and make a drive look bad.  Would a new
ASCQ that says "the last write was a Write Long" provide what is needed?
(This would be a qualifier for for ASC = "Unrecovered Read Error".)

With regard to the patent issue, I've obtained reasonable assurance from
within Digital that the proposal as stated does not infringe.  It will take
more effort to determine Digital's willingness to licensing the patent.  I
was hoping everyone would agree that any advantage obtained by altering the
proposal would be outweighed by the bureaucratic issues related to patent
infringement.  (Ed already mentioned too much time spent with patent
lawyers).  I can see that I'm not going to be that lucky, so I will attempt
to determine Digital's official position with regard to licensing this
patent.
*
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Date: Mon, 02 Dec 96 13:21:00 PST
Subject: FW: Proposal to add a new modifier to SCSI Write commands.
Cc: "Carlson, Lew               SLC" <LCarlson at SLCPO1.SLC.unisys.com>,
        "Elliot, Kathleen G          TR" <elliotkg at trpo2.tr.unisys.com>,
        "Oldham, William E           TR" <WEO1 at TRPO6.TR.unisys.com>,
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        "Hale, Wesley                MV" <WHale at po2.mv.unisys.com>,
        "Marsh, Ralph                MV" <RMarsh at po3.mv.unisys.com>
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-- 
John Lohmeyer               E-Mail: john.lohmeyer at symbios.com
Symbios Logic Inc.           Voice: 719-533-7560 Fax: 719-533-7036
4420 ArrowsWest Dr.            WWW: www.symbios.com/x3t10
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