1.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
2
3===================================
4The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Driver
5===================================
6
7The BusLogic FlashPoint SCSI Host Adapters are now fully supported on Linux.
8The upgrade program described below has been officially terminated effective
931 March 1997 since it is no longer needed.
10
11::
12
13  	  MYLEX INTRODUCES LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR ITS
14  	      BUSLOGIC FLASHPOINT LINE OF SCSI HOST ADAPTERS
15
16
17  FREMONT, CA, -- October 8, 1996 -- Mylex Corporation has expanded Linux
18  operating system support to its BusLogic brand of FlashPoint Ultra SCSI
19  host adapters.  All of BusLogic's other SCSI host adapters, including the
20  MultiMaster line, currently support the Linux operating system.  Linux
21  drivers and information will be available on October 15th at
22  http://sourceforge.net/projects/dandelion/.
23
24  "Mylex is committed to supporting the Linux community," says Peter Shambora,
25  vice president of marketing for Mylex.  "We have supported Linux driver
26  development and provided technical support for our host adapters for several
27  years, and are pleased to now make our FlashPoint products available to this
28  user base."
29
30The Linux Operating System
31==========================
32
33Linux is a freely-distributed implementation of UNIX for Intel x86, Sun
34SPARC, SGI MIPS, Motorola 68k, Digital Alpha AXP and Motorola PowerPC
35machines.  It supports a wide range of software, including the X Window
36System, Emacs, and TCP/IP networking.  Further information is available at
37http://www.linux.org and http://www.ssc.com/.
38
39FlashPoint Host Adapters
40========================
41
42The FlashPoint family of Ultra SCSI host adapters, designed for workstation
43and file server environments, are available in narrow, wide, dual channel,
44and dual channel wide versions.  These adapters feature SeqEngine
45automation technology, which minimizes SCSI command overhead and reduces
46the number of interrupts generated to the CPU.
47
48About Mylex
49===========
50
51Mylex Corporation (NASDAQ/NM SYMBOL: MYLX), founded in 1983, is a leading
52producer of RAID technology and network management products.  The company
53produces high performance disk array (RAID) controllers, and complementary
54computer products for network servers, mass storage systems, workstations
55and system boards.  Through its wide range of RAID controllers and its
56BusLogic line of Ultra SCSI host adapter products, Mylex provides enabling
57intelligent I/O technologies that increase network management control,
58enhance CPU utilization, optimize I/O performance, and ensure data security
59and availability.  Products are sold globally through a network of OEMs,
60major distributors, VARs, and system integrators.  Mylex Corporation is
61headquartered at 34551 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, CA.
62
63Contact:
64========
65
66::
67
68  Peter Shambora
69  Vice President of Marketing
70  Mylex Corp.
71  510/796-6100
72  peters@mylex.com
73
74
75::
76
77			       ANNOUNCEMENT
78	       BusLogic FlashPoint LT/BT-948 Upgrade Program
79			      1 February 1996
80
81			  ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
82	       BusLogic FlashPoint LW/BT-958 Upgrade Program
83			       14 June 1996
84
85  Ever since its introduction last October, the BusLogic FlashPoint LT has
86  been problematic for members of the Linux community, in that no Linux
87  drivers have been available for this new Ultra SCSI product.  Despite its
88  officially being positioned as a desktop workstation product, and not being
89  particularly well suited for a high performance multitasking operating
90  system like Linux, the FlashPoint LT has been touted by computer system
91  vendors as the latest thing, and has been sold even on many of their high
92  end systems, to the exclusion of the older MultiMaster products.  This has
93  caused grief for many people who inadvertently purchased a system expecting
94  that all BusLogic SCSI Host Adapters were supported by Linux, only to
95  discover that the FlashPoint was not supported and would not be for quite
96  some time, if ever.
97
98  After this problem was identified, BusLogic contacted its major OEM
99  customers to make sure the BT-946C/956C MultiMaster cards would still be
100  made available, and that Linux users who mistakenly ordered systems with
101  the FlashPoint would be able to upgrade to the BT-946C.  While this helped
102  many purchasers of new systems, it was only a partial solution to the
103  overall problem of FlashPoint support for Linux users.  It did nothing to
104  assist the people who initially purchased a FlashPoint for a supported
105  operating system and then later decided to run Linux, or those who had
106  ended up with a FlashPoint LT, believing it was supported, and were unable
107  to return it.
108
109  In the middle of December, I asked to meet with BusLogic's senior
110  management to discuss the issues related to Linux and free software support
111  for the FlashPoint.  Rumors of varying accuracy had been circulating
112  publicly about BusLogic's attitude toward the Linux community, and I felt
113  it was best that these issues be addressed directly.  I sent an email
114  message after 11pm one evening, and the meeting took place the next
115  afternoon.  Unfortunately, corporate wheels sometimes grind slowly,
116  especially when a company is being acquired, and so it's taken until now
117  before the details were completely determined and a public statement could
118  be made.
119
120  BusLogic is not prepared at this time to release the information necessary
121  for third parties to write drivers for the FlashPoint.  The only existing
122  FlashPoint drivers have been written directly by BusLogic Engineering, and
123  there is no FlashPoint documentation sufficiently detailed to allow outside
124  developers to write a driver without substantial assistance.  While there
125  are people at BusLogic who would rather not release the details of the
126  FlashPoint architecture at all, that debate has not yet been settled either
127  way.  In any event, even if documentation were available today it would
128  take quite a while for a usable driver to be written, especially since I'm
129  not convinced that the effort required would be worthwhile.
130
131  However, BusLogic does remain committed to providing a high performance
132  SCSI solution for the Linux community, and does not want to see anyone left
133  unable to run Linux because they have a Flashpoint LT.  Therefore, BusLogic
134  has put in place a direct upgrade program to allow any Linux user worldwide
135  to trade in their FlashPoint LT for the new BT-948 MultiMaster PCI Ultra
136  SCSI Host Adapter.  The BT-948 is the Ultra SCSI successor to the BT-946C
137  and has all the best features of both the BT-946C and FlashPoint LT,
138  including smart termination and a flash PROM for easy firmware updates, and
139  is of course compatible with the present Linux driver.  The price for this
140  upgrade has been set at US $45 plus shipping and handling, and the upgrade
141  program will be administered through BusLogic Technical Support, which can
142  be reached by electronic mail at techsup@buslogic.com, by Voice at +1 408
143  654-0760, or by FAX at +1 408 492-1542.
144
145  As of 14 June 1996, the original BusLogic FlashPoint LT to BT-948 upgrade
146  program has now been extended to encompass the FlashPoint LW Wide Ultra
147  SCSI Host Adapter.  Any Linux user worldwide may trade in their FlashPoint
148  LW (BT-950) for a BT-958 MultiMaster PCI Ultra SCSI Host Adapter.  The
149  price for this upgrade has been set at US $65 plus shipping and handling.
150
151  I was a beta test site for the BT-948/958, and versions 1.2.1 and 1.3.1 of
152  my BusLogic driver already included latent support for the BT-948/958.
153  Additional cosmetic support for the Ultra SCSI MultiMaster cards was added
154  subsequent releases.  As a result of this cooperative testing process,
155  several firmware bugs were found and corrected.  My heavily loaded Linux
156  test system provided an ideal environment for testing error recovery
157  processes that are much more rarely exercised in production systems, but
158  are crucial to overall system stability.  It was especially convenient
159  being able to work directly with their firmware engineer in demonstrating
160  the problems under control of the firmware debugging environment; things
161  sure have come a long way since the last time I worked on firmware for an
162  embedded system.  I am presently working on some performance testing and
163  expect to have some data to report in the not too distant future.
164
165  BusLogic asked me to send this announcement since a large percentage of the
166  questions regarding support for the FlashPoint have either been sent to me
167  directly via email, or have appeared in the Linux newsgroups in which I
168  participate.  To summarize, BusLogic is offering Linux users an upgrade
169  from the unsupported FlashPoint LT (BT-930) to the supported BT-948 for US
170  $45 plus shipping and handling, or from the unsupported FlashPoint LW
171  (BT-950) to the supported BT-958 for $65 plus shipping and handling.
172  Contact BusLogic Technical Support at techsup@buslogic.com or +1 408
173  654-0760 to take advantage of their offer.
174
175  		Leonard N. Zubkoff
176  		lnz@dandelion.com
177