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    AST RESEARCH, INC.        TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1241                 6-27-95

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    	   SCSI TIMEOUT DURING BACKUP ON FILESERVERS WITH BANYAN VINES

    PROBLEM

    If a Seagate Barracuda Series ST32550N is installed on a system being used
    as a fileserver running Banyan Vines 5.54(x), an error message similar to
    "WARNING:  Disk Request Time-out on SCSI "Adapter Address 0x0000F800 Unit
    1" could occur during a backup.  This error will usually not be seen unless
    a complete file service backup is attempted on a very large file service
    (typically 600MB or larger).

    This error (or similar error depending on what brand SCSI HBA is used)
    may result in a system hang, recovery after a SCSI BUS reset, distorted
    video, or a combination of symptoms.

    CAUSE

    Some microcode revisions used on the ST32550N drives can result in
    backup difficulties when used in a Banyan Vines environment.  The suspect
    microcode can be determined by the following method:

    1) Drives whose part numbers end in -0xx should NOT be at the -0012
    microcode level.

    2) Drives whose part numbers end in -1xx should NOT be at the -0011
    microcode level.

    The microcode level can be determined by inspecting the sticker labeled
    "Download Microcode Revision Level xxxx" which is located on the hard
    drive.

    SYSTEMS AFFECTED

    Any system that is being used as a Banyan Vines Fileserver in which a user
    has installed a Seagate ST32550N HDD.

    SOLUTION

    Contact the regional Seagate field office for instructions on how to get the
    drive's microcode updated. If you do not know how to contact your regional
    Seagate field office,  contact Seagate Customer Service at (800)468-3472
    for assistance obtaining the phone number as well as determining which
    office you should call.