> + On 10-Feb-04 18:35:36
+andy thomas <andy@ic.ac.uk> wrote

>> You can't. These details relate to the firmware on the drive. You've got
>> SGI firmware, so it's an SGI drive. (And no, you can't install Sun
>> firmware on an SGI drive)

>Is this true, that disks supplied to OEM vendors by disk manufacturers
>have customised firmware?

Yes, either customized (common with older SCSI based RAID systems for example)
or just "branded", most SCSI-disks originally fitted to servers or
workstations just have the name in the firmware changed.

>In my own experience (admittedly, this is mainly with DEC/Compaq Alpha
>kit) generic SCSI devices can be fitted to just about anything and work
>well in them. With Suns, power supply capacity and cooling issues seem

Yes, I have disks that says "Compaq" in the firmware in both my SGI Indy
and some Sun machines..

>to mean that certain devices are "not supported" in certain hardware
>environments (eg, 10K RPM disks in Sparc 4's for example), although it
>doesn't mean it won't work (at least for a while until it overheats).

Exactly..