---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SBus Expansion Subsystem SunFLASH Vol 43 #x July 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - SPARCstation 2 based expansion chassis with 3 additional SBus slots Space for two 424-MB disks - Availability as of July 23, 1992 Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) announces availability of a new SBus Expansion Subsystem for the SPARCstation IPX, SPARCstation 2, SPARCstation 10 and SPARCserver 630MP beginning July 23, 1992. SBus Expansion Subsystem (SES) serves as a companion product for these desktop and server systems. The SBus Expansion Subsystem is composed of: * Expansion chassis with 3 SBus slots and space for two 424-MB drives * SBus adaptor Card to be installed in one SBus slot on the host system * Two-meter cable used to connect the SBus adaptor card in the host system with the SBus Expansion System The SBus Expansion Subsystem allows customers to grow their SPARCstation and SPARCserver configuration. Autoconfiguration, packetized protocol, and longer cable are some of the features making this the most competitive SBus expansion product in the industry today. (See the features and benefits section). GROWTH ------ Three additional SBus slots for expandability * provides the ability to add functionality by adding SBus cards * Supports Master and Slave devices Additional space for two 424-MB drives provides * Increased disk capacity * Growth potential on the system * Added functionality for the system FEATURES AND BENEFITS --------------------- FEATURES BENEFITS ======== ======== Additional SBus expansion slots - Provides ability to expand the system with more SBus cards. All slots support master or slave - Provides support for wide variety devices of SBus cards. Conforms to SBus Spec. B.0 - Fully compliant with IEEE standard proposal. SPARCstation 2 based chassis - Allows the expansion chassis to be stacked on top of a SPARCstation 2 CPU chassis. Packetized protocol used to transfer - Guarantees error free transmission SBus signals between host and between host and expansion subsystem. expansion subsystem - Supports Burst Mode transfer for high performance applications. Autoconfiguration - Provides automatic configuration of SBus cards by the Fcode software to simplify system configuration. Simple installation on desktop - Allows customer installation without systems need for a service call. 2 meter cable - Allows system to be placed up to 2 meters from host. Competitive products allow only 4-6 inches. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CONSIDERATIONS ------------------------------------ The SBus Expansion Subsystem is not currently compatible with the following Sun SBus cards: Description Part Number Order Number ----------- ----------- ------------ SBus Videopix 501-1706 X218A SUNPC Accelerator 501-1980, 501-1981 X1120A/1122A, X1121A/1123A FDDI Single Attachment 501-1732 X1003A SBus Ethernet Controller 501-1881 X453A SBus SCSI Host Adapter 501-1759, 501-1850 X1055A SBus card compatibility is addressed in the SBus Expansion Subsystem Product Compatibility Note which is packaged with the product. Questions on 3rd party SBus card compatibility, if not answered by the SBus Expansion Subsystem Product Compatibility Note, should be directed to the supplier of the the Hardware in question. The SBus Expansion Subsystem is supported on SPARCstation IPX, SPARCstation 2, and SPARCstation 10 and SPARCserver 630MP. The system requires Solaris 1.x (SunOS 4.1.x) and later and an OPEN Boot Prom of 2.0 or later shipped with all SPARCstation 2 and SPARCstation IPX systems. AVAILABILITY: ------------ The SBus Expansion Subsystem (SES) is orderable now to be shipped after July 23, 1992. This product will be included in the November price list and the August SunExpress Catalog. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS --------------------- Q: Are 3rd party SBus cards compatible with the SBus Expansion Subsystem? A: Most SBus cards that comply with SBus Specification B.0 will be compatible. Please refer to the supplier of the SBus card for compatibility statement. Q: Are all Sun SBus cards compatible with the SBus Expansion Subsystem? A: All Sun SBus cards except those listed in the SBus Expansion Subsystem Product Compatibility Note are compatible with the SBus Expansion Subsystem. This note is packaged with the unit. Q: What if a customer wants to use the SBus Expansion Subsystem on a SPARCstation 1, SPARCstation 1+, or SPARCstation IPC? A: The SBus Expansion Subsystem is NOT supported on the SPARCstation 1, SPARCstation 1+, or SPARCstation IPC. The SBus Expansion Subsystem requires an OPEN Boot Prom level of 2.0 and later which does not ship on those systems. Q: How many supported disks can my customer attach to their system using the SBus Expansion Subsystem? A: The supported configuration is 4 disks per SCSI channel. This is the same as without the SBus Expansion Subsystem. The SBus Expansion Subsystem provides more physical space for devices as well as more slots for additional SCSI channels. Q: The SBus Ethernet Controller and SCSI Host Adapter are cards that many customers would want to use in the SBus Expansion Subsystem. Since these cards are not supported, what should they do? A: Sun's SBE/S and FSBE/S cards contain both an ethernet controller and SCSI Host Adapter. The FSBE/S (X1053A) is compatible with the SBus Expansion Subsystem when attached to the supported desktop and server systems. The FSBE/S provides a buffered twisted pair Ethernet controller as well as a high performance 10-MB/s SCSI host adapter. The FSBE/S requires Solaris 1.1 Version A, targeted for Q3, CY92. For SPARCsystem 630MP and SPARCstation 10 systems, the currently shipping SBE/S (X1054A) card is supported. The SBE/S has a 5MB/s SCSI interface, and provides both twisted pair and AUI (thick) Ethernet. Q: How many SBus Expansion Subsystem units can be added to a system? A: Multiple SBus Expansion Subsystems can be added to a host machine. One expansion subsystem can be attached to each SBus slot in the host system. SBus Expansion Subsystems must be plugged into a host machine slot. It *cannot* be plugged into another SBus Expansion Subsystem. U.S. PRICING INFORMATION ------------------------ THE FOLLOWING ITEM APPEARS ON THE END USER AND RESELLER PRICE LISTS: See actual price lists for specific product notes. Order List Disc. Same Day Description Number Price Cat. Service ============================================================================= SBus Expansion Subsystem (SES) X1072A $2,495 A $20 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, paris.cs.miami.edu, uunet.uu.net, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.