  Third-party SCSI devices on OpenVMS? 
 The Question is:
 
Will a Quantum DLT4000 drive work with my Alpha 1200 running VMS 7.2, or do I
 need to specifically get the Digital/Compaq branded TZ88?
 
(I always buy the Digital branded items....but I have a chance to get a new
 Quantun DLT4000 from another department in the college.)
 
Thanks,
 
Joseph
 
 The Answer is:
 
  Yes, you can certainly purchase third-party "generic" SCSI disks for
  your OpenVMS system.
 
  If you purchase third-party "generic" SCSI devices, you and your SCSI
  device vendor will be responsible for the testing and the support of the
  devices.  Compaq will address problems in the host interface (any changes
  necessary that will also not prevent operations with supported devices,
  of course), but you and the device vendor are responsible for problems
  in the device and device interface.
 
  Realize that SCSI is not a standard interface, it is a collection of
  optionally-implemented and standardized interface features.  You should
  not and can not simply assume that all SCSI devices are interchangeable.
 
  Each SCSI host contains non-trivial SCSI driver software, and each SCSI
  device contains equally non-trivial firmware -- taken together with the
  mechanical and electronic components, this software and firmware will
  communicate storage-related requests using the standard SCSI protocol.
  Hosts and devices have various optionally-implemented features, and both
  also implement vendor-specific protocol extensions for operations outside
  those explicitly specified in the SCSI protocol.  In some cases, certain
  devices perform functions that will require them to use SCSI commands
  that are (hopefully) architecturally-compatible SCSI command extensions.
 
  Integration and testing work is mandatory with each new SCSI device, and
  there can be no certainty that any particular SCSI device will operate as
  expected in any particular configuration without first performing this
  (non-trivial) work.
 
  Please review the previous discussions of third-party SCSI device support
  issues here in Ask The Wizard.
 
