--- /dev/null
+The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Host Adapters are now fully supported on Linux.
+The upgrade program described below has been officially terminated effective
+31 March 1997 since it is no longer needed.
+
+
+
+ MYLEX INTRODUCES LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR ITS
+ BUSLOGIC FLASHPOINT LINE OF SCSI HOST ADAPTERS
+
+
+FREMONT, CA, -- October 8, 1996 -- Mylex Corporation has expanded Linux
+operating system support to its BusLogic brand of FlashPoint Ultra SCSI
+host adapters. All of BusLogic's other SCSI host adapters, including the
+MultiMaster line, currently support the Linux operating system. Linux
+drivers and information will be available on October 15th at
+http://sourceforge.net/projects/dandelion/.
+
+"Mylex is committed to supporting the Linux community," says Peter Shambora,
+vice president of marketing for Mylex. "We have supported Linux driver
+development and provided technical support for our host adapters for several
+years, and are pleased to now make our FlashPoint products available to this
+user base."
+
+The Linux Operating System
+
+Linux is a freely-distributed implementation of UNIX for Intel x86, Sun
+SPARC, SGI MIPS, Motorola 68k, Digital Alpha AXP and Motorola PowerPC
+machines. It supports a wide range of software, including the X Window
+System, Emacs, and TCP/IP networking. Further information is available at
+http://www.linux.org and http://www.ssc.com/.
+
+FlashPoint Host Adapters
+
+The FlashPoint family of Ultra SCSI host adapters, designed for workstation
+and file server environments, are available in narrow, wide, dual channel,
+and dual channel wide versions. These adapters feature SeqEngine
+automation technology, which minimizes SCSI command overhead and reduces
+the number of interrupts generated to the CPU.
+
+About Mylex
+
+Mylex Corporation (NASDAQ/NM SYMBOL: MYLX), founded in 1983, is a leading
+producer of RAID technology and network management products. The company
+produces high performance disk array (RAID) controllers, and complementary
+computer products for network servers, mass storage systems, workstations
+and system boards. Through its wide range of RAID controllers and its
+BusLogic line of Ultra SCSI host adapter products, Mylex provides enabling
+intelligent I/O technologies that increase network management control,
+enhance CPU utilization, optimize I/O performance, and ensure data security
+and availability. Products are sold globally through a network of OEMs,
+major distributors, VARs, and system integrators. Mylex Corporation is
+headquartered at 34551 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, CA.
+
+ ####
+
+Contact:
+
+Peter Shambora
+Vice President of Marketing
+Mylex Corp.
+510/796-6100
+peters@mylex.com
+\f
+ ANNOUNCEMENT
+ BusLogic FlashPoint LT/BT-948 Upgrade Program
+ 1 February 1996
+
+ ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
+ BusLogic FlashPoint LW/BT-958 Upgrade Program
+ 14 June 1996
+
+Ever since its introduction last October, the BusLogic FlashPoint LT has
+been problematic for members of the Linux community, in that no Linux
+drivers have been available for this new Ultra SCSI product. Despite its
+officially being positioned as a desktop workstation product, and not being
+particularly well suited for a high performance multitasking operating
+system like Linux, the FlashPoint LT has been touted by computer system
+vendors as the latest thing, and has been sold even on many of their high
+end systems, to the exclusion of the older MultiMaster products. This has
+caused grief for many people who inadvertently purchased a system expecting
+that all BusLogic SCSI Host Adapters were supported by Linux, only to
+discover that the FlashPoint was not supported and would not be for quite
+some time, if ever.
+
+After this problem was identified, BusLogic contacted its major OEM
+customers to make sure the BT-946C/956C MultiMaster cards would still be
+made available, and that Linux users who mistakenly ordered systems with
+the FlashPoint would be able to upgrade to the BT-946C. While this helped
+many purchasers of new systems, it was only a partial solution to the
+overall problem of FlashPoint support for Linux users. It did nothing to
+assist the people who initially purchased a FlashPoint for a supported
+operating system and then later decided to run Linux, or those who had
+ended up with a FlashPoint LT, believing it was supported, and were unable
+to return it.
+
+In the middle of December, I asked to meet with BusLogic's senior
+management to discuss the issues related to Linux and free software support
+for the FlashPoint. Rumors of varying accuracy had been circulating
+publicly about BusLogic's attitude toward the Linux community, and I felt
+it was best that these issues be addressed directly. I sent an email
+message after 11pm one evening, and the meeting took place the next
+afternoon. Unfortunately, corporate wheels sometimes grind slowly,
+especially when a company is being acquired, and so it's taken until now
+before the details were completely determined and a public statement could
+be made.
+
+BusLogic is not prepared at this time to release the information necessary
+for third parties to write drivers for the FlashPoint. The only existing
+FlashPoint drivers have been written directly by BusLogic Engineering, and
+there is no FlashPoint documentation sufficiently detailed to allow outside
+developers to write a driver without substantial assistance. While there
+are people at BusLogic who would rather not release the details of the
+FlashPoint architecture at all, that debate has not yet been settled either
+way. In any event, even if documentation were available today it would
+take quite a while for a usable driver to be written, especially since I'm
+not convinced that the effort required would be worthwhile.
+
+However, BusLogic does remain committed to providing a high performance
+SCSI solution for the Linux community, and does not want to see anyone left
+unable to run Linux because they have a Flashpoint LT. Therefore, BusLogic
+has put in place a direct upgrade program to allow any Linux user worldwide
+to trade in their FlashPoint LT for the new BT-948 MultiMaster PCI Ultra
+SCSI Host Adapter. The BT-948 is the Ultra SCSI successor to the BT-946C
+and has all the best features of both the BT-946C and FlashPoint LT,
+including smart termination and a flash PROM for easy firmware updates, and
+is of course compatible with the present Linux driver. The price for this
+upgrade has been set at US $45 plus shipping and handling, and the upgrade
+program will be administered through BusLogic Technical Support, which can
+be reached by electronic mail at techsup@buslogic.com, by Voice at +1 408
+654-0760, or by FAX at +1 408 492-1542.
+
+As of 14 June 1996, the original BusLogic FlashPoint LT to BT-948 upgrade
+program has now been extended to encompass the FlashPoint LW Wide Ultra
+SCSI Host Adapter. Any Linux user worldwide may trade in their FlashPoint
+LW (BT-950) for a BT-958 MultiMaster PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter. The
+price for this upgrade has been set at US $65 plus shipping and handling.
+
+I was a beta test site for the BT-948/958, and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of
+my BusLogic driver already included latent support for the BT-948/958.
+Additional cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards was added
+subsequent releases. As a result of this cooperative testing process,
+several firmware bugs were found and corrected. My heavily loaded Linux
+test system provided an ideal environment for testing error recovery
+processes that are much more rarely exercised in production systems, but
+are crucial to overall system stability. It was especially convenient
+being able to work directly with their firmware engineer in demonstrating
+the problems under control of the firmware debugging environment; things
+sure have come a long way since the last time I worked on firmware for an
+embedded system. I am presently working on some performance testing and
+expect to have some data to report in the not too distant future.
+
+BusLogic asked me to send this announcement since a large percentage of the
+questions regarding support for the FlashPoint have either been sent to me
+directly via email, or have appeared in the Linux newsgroups in which I
+participate. To summarize, BusLogic is offering Linux users an upgrade
+from the unsupported FlashPoint LT (BT-930) to the supported BT-948 for US
+$45 plus shipping and handling, or from the unsupported FlashPoint LW
+(BT-950) to the supported BT-958 for $65 plus shipping and handling.
+Contact BusLogic Technical Support at techsup@buslogic.com or +1 408
+654-0760 to take advantage of their offer.
+
+ Leonard N. Zubkoff
+ lnz@dandelion.com
Code Review / kvmfornfv.git / blobdiff