ABOUT THIS FILE This file contains information that has been updated since the publication of the SpeedStor 6.0 Rev A manual. Any information contained in this file supercedes the information in the Rev A manual. IMPROVEMENTS: SpeedStor version 6.0 over version 5.14 General Enhancements/Changes o Supports DOS 4.0 - partitions (volumes) greater than 32 MB in size can be created using DOS 4.0's unique file structure when using DOS 4.0. This applies to Compaq DOS 3.31 as well. o Supports up to 24 DOS partitions (volumes C: through Z:). The 24 partitions could be all on one drive, or spread amongst several drives. Previous versions were limited to a maximum of 8 partitions per drive and a maximum of 16 per system. o New INSTALL procedure lets the user specify the partitioning scheme for drives 1 and 2 individually. The user is prompted for the partitioning scheme to use for each drive - the size of each partition to be built is displayed in megabytes for convenience. o Supports DOS 3.30 style partition structure (multiple DOS partitions are possible on one drive). However, do NOT use the DOS FDISK utility. FDISK may ignore SpeedStor partitions and write over them or delete them even if no action is requested of FDISK. o The old HardPrep and PartEd programs have been integrated into a single program - SSTOR. o HarDrive.sys is replaced with SStor.sys device driver. o Supports Storage Dimensions' SDC-800 series SCSI controllers. SSTOR Specific Features (over HardPrep and PartEd ver 5.14) o New, more rational, menu structure supports both HardPrep and PartEd functionality. o Displays system configuration in the main menu info-bar (number of drives, system BIOS identifier, DOS version, and RAM size). o Enhanced partition table display: partitions are clasified by the owner (DOS, SSTOR, or other). The owner specifies who is responsible for supporting the partition. The DOS compatability level of each partition is also displayed. o The Format function automatically locks out clusters in defective areas present in the defect list (identified by the Defect Manager). Earlier versions of SpeedStor could not use the defect list when formatting a DOS partition. o Partition ReOrder option is removed. This option is not commonly used and cannot be implemented while supporting the DOS 3.3 partitioning structure. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: o SpeedStor 6.0.3 cannot distinguish an Adaptec 232xA controller from a 232xB. If an Adaptec 232xA is installed in your system, the /232xA command line option must be used - data integrity cannot be guarenteed if this option is not used with the 232xA. o When using the Storage Dimensions' Subsystem version of SpeedStor and a controller which is 'almost' compatible with the WD-1003 interface, you may need to specify '/StepIndex:0' when using INSTALL, ADDEVICE, or MKCONFIG. The device driver in the Subsystem version of SpeedStor attempts to optimize seek performance by programming the step pulse rate index into the controller using a faster (faster on the WD-1003) step pulse rate. Some controllers may not adhere to the 1003 step pules rates. This can cause anything from slow disk performance to timeout errors. So, if there is a problem after INSTALL is done, try using 'MKCONFIG /StepIndex:0' to solve it. NOTE: The step rate index is specified, not the step pulse rate. Each step rate index value has a step pulse rate associated with it. This mapping is defined by the controller manufacturer. o Systems with front panel displays such as the WYSE machine will not display the hard disk accesses on the panel. The /NoDiskBIOS option can be used to cure this, but the special features of the DiskBIOS will not be supported. o Hybrid machines that look like an AT and use CMOS but do not use the WD-1003 controller will not work properly. Again, the /NoDiskBIOS option may be used, but the added features will not be supported. o When moving a drive to another system (assuming you retain the same controller or use an identical controller) it is necessary to Type the drives on the new system using SpeedStor. Also, if the DOS drive geometry is different (xx/yy in heads or sectors - new xx is not the same as xx on the old system), the DOS-owned partitions must be recreated in the following manner: using the PartitionMgr, delete the DOS-owned partitions. Exit the PartitionMgr (this *must* be done in order to reset the DOS geometry mode). Then, re-enter the PartitionMgr and using the free space on disk, Create and Format new partitions according to taste. WARNING! Transfering a drive to a system that uses a different DOS drive geometry will result in a loss of data in all DOS-owned partitions; data in SSTOR-owned partitions will be unaffected. o The /MaxMegs command line option cannot be set higher than the maximum value supported by the current version of DOS. If it is, the new value is ignored. o In order to Type or Initialize (low-level format) MFM, RLL, or ESDI drives, it is necessary to remove any SCSI controller(s) present in the system. Since the SCSI drives are already present, they usurp the drive numbers that would otherwise be assigned to the MFM drives, thus there is no way to talk to the MFM drives. o It may be necessary to use the /NoCMOS option in order to install drives on some 80386 AT clones. This problem was noticed on clones with the AMI BIOS (shadow RAM BIOS). o If you wish to use the alternate color set, rename sscolors.mac to ssconfig.mac. e.g. A> ren sscolors.mac ssconfig.mac o DOS 4.01 is reported as DOS 4.0. This is a bug in DOS 4.01, which reports itself to be 4.0. o When booting up under DOS 4.0 or DOS 4.01, and there are DOS-owned partitions larger than 32 MB (type 6 partitions), DOS will say, "Warning! Share must be loaded for large media." - even when there is no valid reason for share to be loaded. DOS will not give this warning for SSTOR-owned partitions larger than 32 MB; so if you do not want the message, you can either place share.exe in your config.sys file (uses about 5k of memory), or you can change the owner of these partitions from DOS to SSTOR (4k - 8k of memory, but only if you do not already have an SSTOR-owned partition). WARNING: Do not use SpeedStor's RE-INITIALIZE menu option when using the Western Digital 1002-27X controller. This controller translates the 26 sector physical format into 17 sectors. Undesireable results may occur when using this option. MANUAL ERRATA pg. 13 INSTALL has no SpanDrive option. If you would like to create a SpanDrive, you must use the Partition Manager. pg. 19 The real screen header is slightly different than the example. PartitionMgmt in the example should be PartitionMgr. pg. 31 The maximum volume size is also limited by the DOS version. Limits are as follows: DOS 2.x -> 128 MB DOS 3.0 - 3.30 -> 512 MB DOS 3.31 and up -> 2048 MB (2 GB) pg. 33 The real screen header is slightly different than the example. pg. 47 Second paragraph under OWNER - "allow" should be "allows". pg. 57 Under "6.": the manufacturer's defect list was compiled using a high performance analog disk controller. It is not possible for the controller in your system to locate all of the different types of defects that the manufacturer can find - it is perfectly normal for there to be far few defects located under SpeedStor than there are in the manufacturer's defect list. DO NOT assume that those tracks in the manufacturer's list that are not found under SpeedStor are usable. On the contrary, they are the tracks most likely to fail at the most inoportune time. Be sure to lock out all the defects in the manufacturer's list. pg. 65 When recreating a partition, not only must the cylinder boundaries be the same as the old partition, but the DOS file system structure (logical sector size, number of FATs, cluster size, etc.) must also be the same. pg. 70 Typical installed size of the SStor.sys driver is 4k - 8k. pg. 74 /BootMegs:XXXX. XXXX can be as large as /MaxMegs:XXXX for DOS 3.31 and later. pg. 77 additional files: readme (this file) sscolors.mac (alternate color set) WHAT ELSE IS THERE ? In addition to SpeedStor software, Storage Dimensions markets a variety of products that enable VARS, system integrators, large corporate users, and small businesses to integrate high capacity storage peripherals into PC-based systems. The current product line includes the following: LaserStor Write-Once Optical Subsystems add the new dimension of 800 MB capacity and optical disk technology to PC storage. The WORM (write once, read many) optical drive stores data permanently on a removable, double- sided cartridge, with each side addressed as a single 393 MB DOS volume. This is among the largest capacities available in the 5.25-inch WORM devices (twice the capacity of most competing products). The subsystem consists of a Maxtor optical disk drive, a SCSI interface card, the optical disk cartridge, and our comprehensive LaserCache software package which makes the optical drive totally transparent to PC/MS-DOS. Available for PC, AT-bus, and PS/2 MicroChannel architectures. LANStor Hard Disk Subsystems provide from 115 to 1,144 MB for Novell network servers, supporting NetWare 286 versions 2.0 and 2.1x. Each is factory prepared for NetWare installation, and comes complete with all hardware and LANStor utilities - installable in minutes without using COMPSURF. Offered in both internal and external configurations, LANStor subsystems support the ST506/412 AT controller, the Novell DCB, and Storage Dimensions' ESDI controller or SCSI host adapter. SpeedStor Hard Disk Subsystems provide the highest capacity, performance, and reliability available for demanding DOS applications. Eleven standard models, spanning the range from 90 to 651 MB, provide a choice of capacities to meet specific user needs. All interface standards are supported, including ST506/412, RLL, ESDI and SCSI. The subsystems include high performance hard disk drives, appropriate controllers and cables, and SpeedStor Software to make installation and use exceptionally easy. SpeedStor Subsystems are available for both PC, AT-bus, and PS/2 MicroChannel architectures. For more information on these, and other products, contact Storage Dimensions at (408)879-0300, or write to: Storage Dimensions 2145 Hamilton Avenue San Jose, CA 95125 ******************************************************** *** ADAPTEC 2010 and 2070 CONTROLLERS *** ******************************************************** DEBUG will be needed to perform the low level initialization on the hard drive being installed with the Adaptec 2010 and the Adapted 2070 controller. DEBUG can usually be located on the supplemental DOS disk. Boot the system with DOS 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, or 3.3 At the A> enter debug A dash "-" will appear when debug is loaded Enter "G=C800:CCC" SYSTEM RESPONSE USER RESPONSE _________________________________________________________________ ADAPTEC 2010/2070A FORMAT PROGRAM Please enter numbers in decimal Enter sector interleave (3-9) Enter "4" Enter drive ID (0/1) Enter "0" Use the defalt Parameters? (Y/N) Enter "N" Number of logical units (1-8) Enter "1" Step pulse rate (0-7) Enter "3" Number of heads (1-16) Enter number of heads Number of cylinders: Enter number of cylinders Specify the defect byte offset encoding: MFM or RLL (M/R) Enter "M" for MFM or "R" for RLL (2070A) Enter defect list as "cyl/head/byte" or "head/cyl/byte" (C or H) Enter "C" Type defect file name, or press enter Press Enter defect locations as Enter Defect Locations Cyl/Head/Byte Are above parameters correct (Y/N) Enter "Y" Formatting drive ... Verifying format in logical unit 0 cylinder xxx Format complete ... Run this program again (Y/N) "N" (yes only if second drive is to be installed) Place the DOS system disk in drive A: and reboot by pressing: A> Remove DOS disk and insert the SpeedStor/Hard Disk Utility disk into drive A and type: INSTALL /NOTYPE Follow the prompts displayed on the screen. When prompted whether you want to initialize the drive, select NO. Continue following the SpeedStor prompts.