Date: September 30, 1988 To: Industry Representatives Subject: Common Access Method Committee At the SCSI Forum in February, Jim Rubino of Seagate spoke of "an effort to develop a standard BIOS and a set of drivers for the PC market to make it a total solution for the PC world. Other manufacturers who might be interested were invited to join the club." In the March Happenings issue of the ENDL Letter I wrote: "Software has to change if the potential of intelligent interfaces is to be fulfilled. The first hint that this might be about to happen was Jim Rubino's words on a common BIOS to transcend individual differences. If Seagate convinces Microsoft to talk to SCSI naturally we may see disk, tape and optical drives sharing the same HBA as a scanner." Since then I have bugged Jim on a random basis to fill me in on any progress he has made. The Seagate effort has been a proprietary program developed in conjunction with Cipher Data. The objective was to provide a common interface to both disk and tape, with Seagate disks and Cipher tapes running off the same Seagate HBA (Host Bus Adapter). The Present ----------- Only one company, Micropolis, approached Jim after his statement at the SCSI Forum, which left the impression that there was little industry interest. In mid-August, Seagate and Cipher agreed to discuss some characteristics of the program with a few more companies that have peripherals oriented to PCs. In light of the positive response to this limited survey, Seagate and Cipher have decided to "take public" into an industry forum much of the development effort expended to date. Two documents are involved. The first is the Common Access Method, a programmer's interface to SCSI. The latter will allow software drivers and/or an HBA's on-board BIOS to handle the specifics associated with generating SCSI command sequences and handling device status information. The other is the subset of SCSI-2 required by the SCSI-2/CAM, a SCSI-facto so to speak. The concept of an industry group getting together to achieve a specific goal has been successful for the Quarter Inch Committee and the ESDI Steering Committee. I suggest we form a SCSI-2/CAM Committee along the same lines. The Project ----------- Anybody using a PC running under any operating system other than DOS cannot be sure that SCSI peripherals are supported. Even the DOS user is faced with a situation in which to connect a disk, a tape and a scanner he might wind up having to buy separate host bus adapters. The problem is with the software drivers that are unique to each. The objectives of the SCSI-2/CAM Committee are to specify an environment in which, with compliant hardware and software, a user can be assured of being able to mix 'n match SCSI-facto peripherals on a single CAM-compliant HBA. o Define a set of calls and I/O requests (Common Access Method), to assist developers in writing code to support the PC environment. o The SCSI-2/CAM will provide software with a wide range of SCSI functions that are generic to HBAs. o The SCSI-2/CAM will not require that software be SCSI-specific, SCSI- expert, or be sensitive to SCSI nuances. o Ensure the SCSI-2/CAM supports a broad range of peripherals. o Provide a "pass-through" mode for special functions which may be device specific or manufacturer dependent. o Permit the SCSI-2/CAM functions to be incorporated into the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) chip of the HBA and save system memory. o Pursue avenues to have SCSI-2/CAM become a formalized ANSI standard. o Encourage broad-based software support for attaching SCSI devices to PCs. o Document the implied specification (subset) of SCSI-2. The Proposal ------------ Form a SCSI-2/CAM Committee to spread the burden of documentation and other costs over many companies. The committee would have a recognized list of members, with their names listed in the letterhead of committee stationery. Member companies will be asked to contribute $2,000 to fund the effort of defining the SCSI-2/CAM and SCSI-facto. All funds received will be placed in a separate account and billed by ENDL on a time and materials basis. Copies of billings against the account to be mailed to members on a regular basis. There may be a need for continued funding when the original contributions are disbursed, but the more companies that join, the lower that likelihood (none were made for ESDI). A charge of $200 to defray the cost of document distribution and maintenance would be levied on non-members. A number of companies (Adaptec, Cipher Data, DEST, LMS OSD, Micropolis, Seagate and Sytron) have already indicated their support of the goals listed above. The first meeting of the SCSI-2/CAM Committee will be hosted by Seagate at the Sunnyvale Hilton at 9:00 a.m. on October 19. If you have any questions, please hold them until the meeting. I will be in Japan at the ISO SC13 meeting from September 30 through October 7 and at the ANSI plenary meetings in Boston from October 10 through 14. Remember, everyone is welcome to join in the definition of the Common Access Method. I hope to see you in Sunnyvale on October 19. Yours sincerely, I. Dal Allan ***************** Filename: Principles and Signup Sheet ***************** Reference: A Voluntary Effort to Develop the SCSI-2 Common Access Method and Promote its Industry-wide use. SCSI-2 CAM Committee Membership Fees $ 2,000.00 SCSI-2 CAM Committee Documentation $ 200.00 Surcharge for AIR MAIL to Overseas $ 100.00 Funds received will be retained in escrow until earned and will be accounted for to the members of the CAM Committee. Name: _______________________________ Title: _______________________________ Company: _______________________________ Address: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Phone: ___________________ Please register me as the company representative on the CAM Committee (includes documentation). Check Enclosed: ___ Please Invoice me: ___ Purchase Order Number: _____________________ Signature: _________________________________ Please register me to receive documentation on activities of the CAM Committee. Please add $100 for overseas delivery. Check Enclosed: U.S. $200 Overseas $300 Purchase Orders Not Accepted Signature: _________________________________ If you need further information, call: I. Dal Allan 408-867-6630 Fx: 408-867-2115 PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION ----------------------- The primary objective of the SCSI-2 CAM Committee is to define a de facto set of services which will simplify the integration of SCSI, and widen the market for SCSI products. The more limited the task we set as a committee, the closer we come to specification(s) that will enhance interoperability and plug compatibility. Another objective is to submit the completed document(s) to ANSI to become standards. There are several ways in which this may be accomplished: one may work through the existing committee structures or petition ANSI directly for the document(s) to be printed as standard(s). The process to be used will be decided upon when we know better what it is that we have to offer to ANSI. The principles of operation for the SCSI-2 CAM Committee are very similar to those which proved successful for the ESDI Steering Committee. There are three levels of participation: - Attending the meetings is open to all, and any attendee can participate in discussions. - The minutes and copies of material which are discussed during meetings are distributed only to those who sign up to receive documentation. The fee for document distribution is $200 ($300 for overseas). - The individuals representing companies which are members of the SCSI-2 CAM Committee receive a set of documentation and are entitled to vote on issues that arise during the meetings. In rare cases, where it is felt that all member companies should have a vote, they will be balloted by mail. The fee to become a member is $2,000. Material presented at SCSI-2 CAM Committee meetings becomes public domain. There will be no restrictions on the open mailing of material presented at committee meetings. Copies will be provided to members for any agenda item to be discussed to reduce disagreements and misunderstandings. Hard copies of all presentation material shall be provided for the mailing. The sites of SCSI-2 CAM Committee meetings will rotate based on which member companies volunteer to host the meetings. There will be no attempt made to force alternating between East and West coast locations, or between Northern and Southern California. In the event that more than one company volunteers to host a meeting, the members will choose between the alternatives. The funds received by ENDL to manage the committee are placed in escrow, and drawn against as expenses are incurred. A full accounting of receipts and disbursements is provided to member companies on a regular basis. I. Dal Allan Chairman