From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Al Viro Subject: Re: ultrastor.c is a bit-rot Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:16:52 +0000 Message-ID: <20080323171652.GF10722@ZenIV.linux.org.uk> References: <47DE8736.8020405@panasas.com> <20080317152344.GE26285@parisc-linux.org> <47E41D7D.9050409@zytor.com> <47E628DF.6070301@panasas.com> <47E68423.2010507@zytor.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Return-path: Received: from zeniv.linux.org.uk ([195.92.253.2]:37654 "EHLO ZenIV.linux.org.uk" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752257AbYCWRRn (ORCPT ); Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:17:43 -0400 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <47E68423.2010507@zytor.com> Sender: linux-scsi-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org To: "H. Peter Anvin" Cc: Boaz Harrosh , Matthew Wilcox , James Bottomley , linux-scsi , Andrew Morton , linux-kernel On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 09:24:03AM -0700, H. Peter Anvin wrote: > >Hmm interesting, so someone took the VGA thing and made a storage device > >for it. Did that ever happen with AGP? Any AGP scsi cards. I guess I can > >Google for it. > > A lot less likely, IMO. Unlike AGP-PCI, VLB slots were compatible with > ISA cards, and the electricals were less complex, so several motherboard > manufacturers built boards with 3 or more VESA slots (I think I saw a > board with 6 at one point.) > > AGP electricals pretty much require that it be point to point. ... not that VLB didn't suck badly with several devices attached at the same time. I would be rather surprised if that board would work if fully populated with VLB cards, all in active use. IOW, a likely explanation is that it had a warning along the lines of "use of more than of VLB cards at the same time may use instability" buried in documentation and proud "6 VLB slots!!!" touted by marketing... I can't find VLB specs online, but IIRC 3 had been the limit and anything past that had been very much out of spec and likely to screw you.