SCO CERTIFIED AND COMPATIBLE HARDWARE
Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)
This database contains all listings of SCO Certified and Compatible Hardware for the SCO family of Operating System products.
SCO Certified Hardware has been certified by SCO's Engineering Services team in conjunction with the hardware vendor to ensure inter-operability. SCO is the initial contact point for any issues discovered with hardware listed as Certified. If the problem can be duplicated, SCO will escalate the issue to the vendor and will work together with the vendor for resolution of the issue.
Compatible Hardware is hardware that is reported to work with the product based on driver availability, but has not been certified, nor is supported by SCO or the manufacturer.
New
Addition to the CHWP – Reliant®HA Clusters
–
information
I don't see my Computer, Graphics
Card, SCSI
Host Adapter,
Tape
Drive, Printer
listed in the CHWP - Will it work?
Why are Mainboards not listed in the CHWP?
Why are Hard Disk Drives not listed in the CHWP?
What does "Certified" really mean?
How long is a product that is listed as "Certified" supported by SCO?
Why does a computer system manufacturer only list some systems in the CHWP?
Will SCO Products work with processors other than Intel ® processors?
Will SCO Operating Systems work with computer systems NOT listed in the CHWP?
Is there a hard copy version of the CHWP available?
How often is the CHWP updated?
Does SCO "Certify" white box or clone computer systems?
How do I get my products listed in the CHWP?
Compatible Hardware Web Pages Errors and Omissions
Computer
SCO
prides itself on providing UNIX ®
Operating Systems that "just work" on Standard Intel
® processors and Intel-compatible hardware. While that is
true, there are always some systems, especially larger server
systems and Notebook Computers that require certain OS
specific features to be able to perform to their potential. In
most cases you will find that any high quality computer system
will work with SCO Operating System Product.
Perhaps
you see a manufacturer listed in the CHWP that has many
systems that are Certified, but the system you wish to
purchase from the same manufacturer is not listed. SCO's
primary business focus is the Server and the Workstation. As
such, large computer manufacturers have different divisions
that specialize in Notebook, Desktop, Work Station and Server
class hardware. The relationships that we have with these
manufacturers are generally with the server division. There
are always exceptions to the rule. One manufacturer selected
SCO when they wanted their Notebook Computers certified on
SCO products. The manufacturers listed in the CHWP make up
a who's who of the computer industry. Most all of the products
manufactured by these companies will work just fine with a
SCO Operating System -- we just can't assure you that it
is unless it has been Certified by SCO.
If
you don't find your Graphics Card listed in the CHWP, consult
with the manufacturer to see if the card you wish to purchase
has a VESA Compatibility mode. Current supported VESA modes
are VBE 1.2, VBE 2.0, and VBE 3.0. If so, you can use this
card. While the SCO VESA driver is not accelerated, it
will give you the resolution and color depth offered by the
card manufacturer.
For those computers that come with embedded graphics chip sets on the mainboard, you may want to reference the CHWP to see if that chipset is listed and certified on computer systems listed in the CHWP. This is a good indication that the chip set embedded on your computer system will work, however we can not provide support on products that are not Certified.
For
SCSI Host Adapters not listed in the CHWP, please contact the
Host Adapter manufacturer. Many host bus adapter providers
bundle SCO drivers with their product.
If
you have selected a SCSI Tape Drive and it is not listed in
the CHWP, it stands a very high probability of working on
SCO OpenServer ™ and UnixWare ™ 7, and Open
UNIX products. SCO uses a generic SCSI Tape driver and all
models certified in the CHWP use this driver.
Printers
having a Serial, Parallel, or Network interface, and those
which accept ASCII or Postscript output can use the 'standard'
SCO Printer interface. SCO has many 'printer interface
scripts' included in the Operating System for specific Printer
manufacturers.
Why are Mainboards not listed
in the CHWP?
Computer
Mainboards (AKA: Motherboards) are sold in a variety of
configurations, with many options that are made available to
end-users, distributors, VAR’s and Resellers. SCO
must test complete systems for them to become Certified. We want to assure SCO customers that when SCO
Certifies a product, it has a 98% probability of functioning
correctly after purchase. What happened to the other 2%, you
ask? Even "Certified" computer systems can
be configured by end-users and system integrators with
hardware and software that SCO did not consider in
testing. Sometimes the most robust, highest quality systems
will fail under these circumstances. If a Certified system does have problems,
SCO will do it's best working with the provider to resolve
the issue.
Why are Hard Disk Drives not
listed in the CHWP?
Hard
drives are certified by IDE chip/controller card manufacturers
and SCSI Host Bus Adapter manufacturers. SCO certifies
the IDE or SCSI controller hardware. SCO provides device
drivers for all major manufacturers of SCSI host bus adapters
and has a generic driver for IDE. Hard Drive manufacturers.
What does "Certified" really mean?
"Certified" means many things. First of all it means that
SCO and the manufacturer of the hardware have a strong
relationship, and that we work together to assure that the
"Certified" product that you purchased will
work properly with the SCO Operating System software
installed. It also means that SCO and the manufacturer
have channels for escalating any problem that may arise.
SCO Certification means that if an issue surfaces,
resolution will happen far faster.
Device
Drivers that are included with SCO Operating System
Products are those devices that are required at installation
time. If a customer has problems installing any of these
products, please contact our technical support department in
the US at: 831.427.5443
and in our Hatfield England office at: +44
1707 226014.
If
you are having an issue with a device driver not included with
the standard SCO distribution, please contact the Vendor
directly for technical support questions. Hot links are
available in the CHWP to alert you on the correct numbers to
contact. These links are available off the opening page of the
CHWP, and on the model table after a search has been
completed.
SCO
Certification, and the lengths SCO and the manufacturer
will go to provide a remedy to the problem, is dependent on
the exact system that was certified and not the system that
was purchased. Many computer systems from one manufacturer and
with the same model number can be purchased with several
peripheral options. SCO certifies one, or several specific
configurations. The specifics of the actual system "Certified" are listed on the Certification Pages of the
CHWP based on each manufacturer's model.
Just click the word Certified
at the intersection of
the product and operating system release for specifics.
How long is a product that is
listed as "Certified" supported by SCO?
SCO
Hardware Certification spans the life of the SCO Operating
System plus twelve months after the Operating System has been
retired from SCO Product offerings, or one calendar year
from the time a hardware vendor has obsoleted a specific
product. Unfortunately, hardware is changing rapidly in
today's market, and it is impossible to support a hardware
product indefinitely.
Why does a computer system
manufacturer only list some systems in the CHWP?
While
SCO Operating Systems are designed specifically for Intel
and Intel compatible hardware, SCO focuses it’s
attention on the server and workstation markets, and so do our
hardware partners. The computer systems that are listed in the
CHWP are listed there at the request of the computer system
manufacturer. Large Computer Manufacturers have divisions that
focus on Servers, Desktops and Notebook Computers. Typically,
SCO has relationships established with the Server and
Workstation Divisions of these companies.
Many
SCO customers want to run SCO Operating Systems
on Desktop and Notebook Computers. Since there is a perception
that UNIX ® Operating Systems does not have a high-volume
market for Notebooks, for instance, most of these divisions
see no need to have their products listed in the CHWP. There
are exceptions however, and more and more we are being
approached to certify Notebook Computers. Have a look in the
CHWP. Search for ‘ALL’ companies and select "
Notebooks.’ You will see the selection available.
Will SCO Products work
with processors other than Intel ® processors?
The
CHWP lists several computer system products that come with
chip sets other than Intel. Intel compatibility is the key.
Cyrix and AMD chip sets can be found within the CHWP.
Will SCO Operating
Systems work with computer systems NOT listed in the CHWP?
SCO
Operating Systems are designed to run on commodity Intel and
Intel-compatible hardware. Generally speaking, any high
quality computer system with the proper peripherals will run
SCO Operating Systems just fine. Care must be taken when
selecting Symmetric Multi-Processing Computer Systems (SMP) or
those computers having more than one CPU, but a high quality
SMP computer system with the proper peripherals should simply
work. If you elect to purchase a non-listed computer system,
please check the rest of the CHWP for SCO Certified
peripherals. These devices will have a device driver included
as a part of the SCO Operating System that you select.
Is there a hard copy version
of the CHWP available?
No
there is not; however using the CHWP does not require you to
use the Internet. A version of the CHWP is available in
SCO OpenServer ™ and UnixWare ™ media kits. While the
interface is a bit different, the same data is contained on
the media as was available on the web at the time the media
was cut. Updates to the CHWP can only be accessed via the
World-Wide Web.
A
version of the Compatible Hardware Web Pages is available on
the UnixWare ™ and OpenServer ™ Development Kit CD-ROM.
This CD-ROM is included with the UnixWare ™ 7, OpenServer
™ 5, and Developer Media Kits. Media kits can be purchased
through your local SCO distributor. To locate a SCO
dealer in your area please call 1-800-726-UNIX.
How often is the CHWP
updated?
The
CHWP can be updated at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. New products are added on a daily basis, and when errors
are discovered, they are corrected immediately. The heaviest
concentration of new product listings happens just before a
new release of SCO’s Operating Systems.
Does SCO "Certify" white box or clone computer systems?
SCO
will "Certify" any hardware at the request
of a brand name System Provider, VAR, Reseller or System
Integrator. The system must pass the rigorous test suites
appropriate for that hardware, regardless of whether it is a
name brand, or a pieced-together system know as a "white
box" or a "clone."
In many cases, white boxes are specifically configured for a
particular market segment, and the system integrates hardware
and software specifically to the requirements of that market.
The "Certified" computer system is very
specific to the peripherals and hardware submitted for testing
purposes, and any deviations from the test system are not
considered by SCO to be "Certified."
How do I get my products
listed in the CHWP?
Please send email to: certified@sco.com
Compatible Hardware Web Pages
Errors and Omissions
While
SCO does everything possible to minimize any errors in the
CHWP, we cannot accept any liability for errors or omissions
of any kind. If a product, operating system or certification
value is listed in error, SCO will correct the error very
quickly, but we cannot honor the properties of an error listed
in the CHWP, nor support a product incorrectly listed.
ReliantHA SCO's high availability clustering software option for OpenUNIX8 and UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.1 is a layered product which can be added after the installation of either operating system. ReliantHA requires additional hardware certification in only four categories beyond that required for the operating system.
-
Computer Systems
-
Storage Controllers
-
Storage Technologies
-
Network Devices and Solutions
For other hardware categories, please select the host operating system on which ReliantHA is installed and locate the desired product.
Please use the comments box on the CHWP
Main Page to send suggestions about the contents of this text
page.
This file last modified: November 24, 2003
