Ideally, VSI should setup a process to generate an hcl list based on
user experience. Most open source os have an hcl (hardware compatability
list), which lists systems and peripherals that have been found to work.
Some closed as well, such as Solaris. This would reduce the load on
VSI and increase the potential market for VMS. Not just peripherals
and controllers, but server vendors and types. VSI won't have time to
test and support every type of hardware, but an involved user base
could help a lot.
It's often not the vendor of an io card that matters, but the chip set
used, as many controllers are based on the chip vendors reference
design, even just a copy, so many cards are interchangeable...
Chris