I have Rocketware 1.5.1 installed (you can see it loading in one of the photos in my previous post). But if there is a specific SCSI Booster set of software, I would like to learn more where it can be downloaded.
Hum, also, given the booster is on the Rocket's PDS, I'm not sure how you'd be able to boot the IIci from it? Have you tried it in RocketShare? Does it work there?
I've never used RocketShare. I've only used RocketWare because RocketWare makes the Rocket act as an accelerator. RocketShare makes it act as a second Mac, or so I've read.
When the Mac finishes the RAM checking, it loads RocketWare and then reboots. That is normal. So in light of that, I would think it should be able to boot from an attached SCSI drive. I've read that it can in brochures. I simply don't have the manual for the Booster because I purchased the clone from max1zzz.
When the Mac finishes the RAM checking, it loads RocketWare and then reboots. That is normal. So in light of that, I would think it should be able to boot from an attached SCSI drive. I've read that it can in brochures. I simply don't have the manual for the Booster because I purchased the clone from max1zzz.
Yes, RocketWare makes it behave as an accelerator, RocketShare is more like a modern Virtual Machine.
If adverts say it can boot from a disk on the booster in RocketWare mode then it must be able to, but... I'm surprised.
The Mac, by default, wouldn't know about or be able to see the drive. You say it starts booting and then resets, but... that requires it to know about a drive attached to a bus hanging off a chip on a Nubus card natively with none of the patches that are installed by the special restart. It has to know about the disk before the radius software loads...
Which would be a surprise.
I'd want to be sure that "booting" doesn't just mean in RocketShare.
That's why I hope some people who have the vintage Rocket and vintage SCSI Booster can chime in. My Rocket is vintage (ASIC model), but my Booster is Max's clone. I send OlePigeon a PM on the MLA because I know he has both. He said he would check.
As far as I have been able to find the rocket can't boot from a drive connected to the booster while using it in accelerator mode, At lease I never managed to get it working during testing
You shouldn't need any additional software installed, however have a look in the extension folder on your boot drive and see if there is a SCSI booster extension, it's possible the rocketware installer didn't install it for some reason
Another oddity I found is that the SCSI ID of a drive connected to the booster can't be the same as one connected to the mac's internal bus when the rocket is running in accelerator mode, as far as Mac OS is concerned they are the same bus. If you have two devices with the same ID on both the booster and mac's logicboard bus the one of the logicboard bus will show up and the one of the booster will not
Try booting the mac from the drive on the logicboard bus with another drive connected to the booster and see if they both show up, or try with RocketShare and see if it shows up there
I would also check your DB25 coupler and make sure it is a straight through adapter, I would expect those ones to eb but there is a chance it isn't
Another thing you can try is if you look at the booster there is a 3 pin jumper next to the footprint for the internal SCSI connector, you can try moving this to the other position. This adds a RC network to the clock line which skews the clock a little, I leave this in the disabled position by default as on my system / rockets it just makes the system hard freeze when the rocket loads however this was in the enabled position the the booster I was lent for cloning which was being used on a ASIC rocket
(I am posting this while at work so have only quickly skimmed through the original post so I may have missed of any of this has already been tried)
You shouldn't need any additional software installed, however have a look in the extension folder on your boot drive and see if there is a SCSI booster extension, it's possible the rocketware installer didn't install it for some reason
Another oddity I found is that the SCSI ID of a drive connected to the booster can't be the same as one connected to the mac's internal bus when the rocket is running in accelerator mode, as far as Mac OS is concerned they are the same bus. If you have two devices with the same ID on both the booster and mac's logicboard bus the one of the logicboard bus will show up and the one of the booster will not
Try booting the mac from the drive on the logicboard bus with another drive connected to the booster and see if they both show up, or try with RocketShare and see if it shows up there
I would also check your DB25 coupler and make sure it is a straight through adapter, I would expect those ones to eb but there is a chance it isn't
Another thing you can try is if you look at the booster there is a 3 pin jumper next to the footprint for the internal SCSI connector, you can try moving this to the other position. This adds a RC network to the clock line which skews the clock a little, I leave this in the disabled position by default as on my system / rockets it just makes the system hard freeze when the rocket loads however this was in the enabled position the the booster I was lent for cloning which was being used on a ASIC rocket
(I am posting this while at work so have only quickly skimmed through the original post so I may have missed of any of this has already been tried)
A speed test of one of those SCSI-2 Boosters would be nice.
Probably use a RAM disk on the Rocket itself, but across NuBus would be nice too.
My Rocket 33 came with a DSP Booster, but it didn't work, and would cause the Rocket to crash in RocketShare. It's since gone missing. TBH I don't think there's much value to the DSP card: AFAIK, only Photoshop can use it for certain filters.
Probably use a RAM disk on the Rocket itself, but across NuBus would be nice too.
My Rocket 33 came with a DSP Booster, but it didn't work, and would cause the Rocket to crash in RocketShare. It's since gone missing. TBH I don't think there's much value to the DSP card: AFAIK, only Photoshop can use it for certain filters.
Replies came as I was going to bed last night, and I'm at work now. Will consider use of RocketShare software later, although it will be for testing purposes only because I have no practical use case for a Mac-inside-a-Mac. I only want to use the Rocket as an accelerator. And I say that with knowledge about what RocketShare does (based on my study of it, rather than practical use).
My hope was that the SCSI Booster would boost SCSI throughput, but based on the most recent replies, it would appear those hopes may have been dashed. Quite unfortunate.
Well, at least I can say I am beta-testing the SCSI Booster. I've not seen comments from any other ASIC Rocket owner who also owns the Booster clone, so I guess I am the only one out there. (Or only one who has tested his Booster and/or cares to share knowledge.) But that's OK. I've beta-tested hardware and software for years. If the feedback I provide can make products better or otherwise inform would-be buyers, then that's mission accomplished in my eyes.
And lest anyone come along and dare to think me somehow ungrateful (which would be totally nuts for anyone to think that of me), I will add yet another word of praise for Max. I have high respect for creators of new stuff for our old Macintoshes. This isn't the first thing Max has created either. You always take a risk when making something new or even cloning something, so hats off to Max for having taken those risks and come up with some really neat stuff. Even if the Booster isn't for everyone, the fact that he cloned the Rocket is amazing in my eyes. Anyone with a compatible Mac can take advantage of the Rocket.
Max, you're awesome!
Again, more later...
My hope was that the SCSI Booster would boost SCSI throughput, but based on the most recent replies, it would appear those hopes may have been dashed. Quite unfortunate.
Well, at least I can say I am beta-testing the SCSI Booster. I've not seen comments from any other ASIC Rocket owner who also owns the Booster clone, so I guess I am the only one out there. (Or only one who has tested his Booster and/or cares to share knowledge.) But that's OK. I've beta-tested hardware and software for years. If the feedback I provide can make products better or otherwise inform would-be buyers, then that's mission accomplished in my eyes.
And lest anyone come along and dare to think me somehow ungrateful (which would be totally nuts for anyone to think that of me), I will add yet another word of praise for Max. I have high respect for creators of new stuff for our old Macintoshes. This isn't the first thing Max has created either. You always take a risk when making something new or even cloning something, so hats off to Max for having taken those risks and come up with some really neat stuff. Even if the Booster isn't for everyone, the fact that he cloned the Rocket is amazing in my eyes. Anyone with a compatible Mac can take advantage of the Rocket.
Max, you're awesome!
Again, more later...