Jim, That's a lot of questions. :) Let's see what I can do to help you sort things out.
Do you have Ethernet capabilities? If so, Ethernet is by far the most convenient method of transferring files from the one machine to the other. 50-pin connectors limit you to 10 megabytes/sec SCSI-II. If you want anything faster, you'll want to move up to the higher density 68-pin connectors. What kind of cables you may need depends on the external connector on the SCSI host. I'm betting it'll have a 68-pin connector, so you'd need a cable with the 68-pin connector on one end, and then the appropriate connector for the external box on the other end. Don't forget to terminate the end of the external chain either. There's a bunch of different connectors in the Mac world: DB-25 (back of the StarMax) Centronics 50 High Density 50 High Density 68 If you're mixing these flavors, you'll be OK if you have the right cables. The host will know to slow down for the older/slower devices. -----Original Message----- From: StarMax List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Jim Donnelly Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 6:33 AM To: StarMax List Subject: SCSI question for oldtimers On or about July 10, I expect to come into an extra 45-50 thousand bucks, and I've earmarked anywhere up to $5K for a PowerMac G4. I've decided that it will need a SCSI card, and Apple is eager to sell me one, but all my SCSI knowledge is archaic, so here's my question: This StarMax has a 2-gigabyte internal ATA drive (nearly full), and I also have about 17 gig free space available on two external SCSI drives. How do I transfer any or all of this stuff to a G4 machine? In theory, I suppose I could first empty out the internal drive onto one of the externals. Then what? Both of my external drives use antique 50-pin cables. I'm pretty sure that in a cardboard box on the floor I have a couple of 50-to-25-pin cables, but I don't understand anything at all about their usefulness for handling the various kinds of SCSI. In other words, will I need a special sort of cable to transfer stuff from an old 50-pin SCSI drive to whichever variety of SCSI I'm likely to find on the card in a G4 machine? Will that require going through contortions, like maybe chaining cables together? Will I need some sort of separate little gizmo to convert formats? All I know anything about is SCSI and SCSI II, nothing newer than that. No ultras, in other words, no 68s. Thanks very much. Jim Donnelly Hyattsville, Maryland -- StarMax is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> StarMax list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/starmax.html> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/starmax%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com> -- StarMax is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> StarMax list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/starmax.html> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/starmax%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
