Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: Will this newer SCSI hard drive work in my older Gateway server?

A: In most cases new SCSI hard drives work with no difficulties when added to an existing server. However, compatibility issues can arise in some cases. Newer hard drives use different transfer signal methods. This combined with the electrical characteristics of the hardware, influences compatibility in some instances. If the existing hardware and new drives do not have compatible circuitry with the same electrical characteristics, reflections may occur resulting in signal loss and distortion. In some cases, this can cause the newer drives to either not work at all or to have random issues. This can be a limiting factor on whether newer drives work with older server's backplanes. These characteristics are very important, particularly on hot swap backplanes. Most legacy ALR and Gateway® backplanes were only tested with the standard SCSI technology of the time and may or may not have compatibility issues with newer hard drives that were not tested. In some cases, newer drives can be forced into a compatibility mode by a jumper shunt being configured. This is still no guarantee of reliable function. However, it may resolve some encountered issues.

The following table provides informtion about which SCSI technologies were standard during the release of particular Gateway server/backplane models.

Server Model UltraWide
(40 MBps)		 Ultra II
(80 MBps)		 Ultra160 Ultra320
7000/7000R X      
7200 X X    
7210/7210R X X X  
7250R X X X  
7300 X X    
7400R X X X  
7450R X X X X
8000 X      
8200/8200R X X    
8300 X X    
8400/8400R X X X  
8450R X X X  
9000/9000R X      
9200/9200R X X X  
9250R X X X  
930/930R X X X  
935 X X X X
955 X X X X
960 X X X X
975 X X X X
980 X X X X
QHS Drawer X X    
DS8U2   X X  
DSULTRA8 X      
DSULTRA11 X      
To benefit from using faster drives, the server must have a SCSI or RAID card capable of running at the same transfer rate as the new hard drive.

Gateway performs testing on numerous drive models to ensure stability and compatibility with the products we sell. However, Gateway cannot guarantee that a third party component will function 100 percent of the time when installed in a legacy server.