2628 lines
100 KiB
Plaintext
2628 lines
100 KiB
Plaintext
<!--
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The contents of this file used to reside in
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alpha/HARDWARE.TXT.
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$FreeBSD$
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-->
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<sect1>
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<title>Supported processors and motherboards</title>
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<para>This section is maintained by &a.wilko;.</para>
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<para>Additions, corrections and constructive criticism are invited. In
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particular information on system quirks is more than welcome.</para>
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<sect2>
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<title>Overview</title>
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<para>This document tries to provide a starting point for those
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who want to start running &os; on an Alpha-based machine. It is
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aimed at providing background information on the various hardware
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designs. It is not a replacement for the systems manuals.</para>
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<para>The information is structured as follows:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>general hardware requirements to run &os; on alpha.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>system specific information for each of the
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systems/boards supported by &os;.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>information on expansion boards for &os;,
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including things that differ from what is in the generic
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supported hardware list.</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<note>
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<para>You will see references to DEC, Digital Equipment Corporation and
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Compaq used more or less interchangeably. Now that Compaq has acquired
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Digital Equipment it would be more correct to refer to Compaq only.</para>
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</note>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>In general, what do you need to run &os; on an Alpha?</title>
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<para>Obviously you will need an Alpha machine that &os;
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knows about. Alpha machines are NOT like PCs. There are
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considerable differences between the various chip sets and
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mainboard designs. This means that a kernel needs to know the
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intimate details of a particular machine before it can run on
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it. Throwing some odd <filename>GENERIC</filename> kernel at
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unknown hardware is almost guaranteed to fail miserably.</para>
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<para>For a machine even to be considered for &os; use please
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make sure it has the SRM console firmware installed. Or at least
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make sure that SRM console firmware is available for this
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particular machine type. If &os; does not currently support
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your machine type, there is a good chance that this will change at
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some point in time, assuming SRM is available.</para>
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<para>Machines with the ARC or AlphaBIOS console firmware were
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intended for WindowsNT. Some of them have SRM firmware available
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in the system ROMs which you only have to select (via an ARC or
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AlphaBIOS menu). In other cases you will have to re-flash the ROMs
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with SRM code. Check on
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http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware to see what is
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available for your particular system. In any case: no SRM means
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<emphasis>no</emphasis>
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&os; (or NetBSD, OpenBSD, Tru64 Unix or OpenVMS for that
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matter). With the demise of WindowsNT/alpha a lot of former NT
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boxes are sold on the second hand market. They have little or no
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trade-in value when they are NT-only from the console
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perspective. So, be suspicious if the price appears too good.</para>
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<para>Known non-SRM machines are:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>Digital XL series</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Digital XLT series</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Samsung PC164UX</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>Samsung 164B</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<para>To complicate things a bit further: Digital used to have so
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called <quote>white-box</quote> Alpha machines destined as NT-only
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and <quote>blue-box</quote> Alpha machines destined for OpenVMS
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and Digital Unix. These names are based on the color of the
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cabinets, <quote>FrostWhite</quote> and <quote>TopGunBlue</quote>
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respectively. Although you could put the SRM console on the
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whitebox, OpenVMS and Digital Unix will refuse to boot on
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them. &os; in post-4.0-RELEASE will run on both the white and the
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blue-box variants. Before someone asks: the white ones had a
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rather different (read: cheaper) price tag.</para>
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<para>As part of the SRM you will get the so called OSF/1 PAL code
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(OSF/1 being the initial name of Digital's UNIX offering on
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Alpha). The PAL code can be thought of as a software abstraction
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layer between the hardware and the operating system. It uses
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normal CPU instruction plus a handful of privileged instructions
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specific for PAL use. PAL is not microcode by the way. The ARC
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firmware contains a different PAL code, geared towards WinNT and
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in no way suitable for use by &os; (or more generic: Unix or
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OpenVMS). Before someone asks: Linux/alpha brings its own PAL
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code, allowing it to boot on ARC and AlphaBIOS. There are various
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reasons why this is not a very good idea in the eyes of the *BSD
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folks. I don't want to go into details here.</para>
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<para>There is another pitfall ahead: you will need a disk adapter
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that the SRM console recognizes in order to be able to boot from
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your disk. What is acceptable to SRM as a boot adapter is
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unfortunately system and SRM version dependent. For older PCI
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based machines this means you will need either a NCR/Symbios
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53C810 based adapter, or a Qlogic 1020/1040 based adapter. Some
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machines come with a SCSI chip embedded on the mainboard. Newer
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machine designs and SRM versions will be able to work with later
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SCSI chips/adapters. Check out the machine specific info
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below. Please note that the rest of this discussion only refers to
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Symbios chips, this is meant to include the older chips that still
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have NCR stamped on them. Symbios bought the NCR designs.</para>
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<para>The problem might bite those who have machines that started
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their lives as WinNT boxes. The ARC or AlphaBIOS knows about
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<emphasis>other</emphasis> adapter types that it can boot from
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than the SRM. For example you can boot from an Adaptec 2940UW with
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ARC/AlphaBios but (generally) not with SRM. Some newer machine types have
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introduced Adaptec boot support. Please consult the machine
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specific section for details.</para>
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<para>Some adapters that cannot be booted from work fine for
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data-only disks. The differences between SRM and ARC could also
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get you pre-packaged IDE CDROMs and hard drives in some (former
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NT) systems. SRM versions exist (depends on the machine type)
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that can boot from IDE disks and CDROMs. Check the machine
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specific section for details.</para>
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<para>&os; 4.0 and later can be booted from the
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distribution CDROM. Earlier versions needed booting from a
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2-floppy set.</para>
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<para>If you don't have/want a local disk drive you can boot via
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the Ethernet. This assumes a Ethernet adapter/chip that is
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recognized by the SRM. Generally speaking this boils down to
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either a 21040 or 21142 or 21143 based Ethernet interface. Older
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machines / SRM versions may not recognize the 21142 / 21143 Fast
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Ethernet chips, you are limited to using 10Mbit Ethernet for net
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booting those machines. Non-DEC cards based on said chips will
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generally (but are not guaranteed to) work. Note that Intel took
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over the 21x4x chips when it bought Digital Semiconductor. So you
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might see an Intel logo on them these days. Recent machine designs
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have SRM support for Intel 8255x Ethernet chips.</para>
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<para>Alpha machines can be run with SRM on a graphics console or
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on a serial console. ARC can be run on a serial consoles if need
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be. VT100 emulation with 8 bit controls should at least allow you
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to switch from ARC/AlphaBIOS to SRM mode without having to install a
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graphics card first.</para>
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<para>If you want to run your Alpha without a monitor/graphics
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card just don't connect a keyboard/mouse to the machine. Instead
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hook up a serial terminal[emulator] to serial port #1. The SRM
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will talk 9600N81 to you. This can be really practical for
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debugging purposes. Beware: some/most (?) SRMs will also present
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you with a console prompt at serial port #2. The booting kernel,
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however, will display the boot messages on serial port #1 and will
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also put the console there. This can be extremely confusing.</para>
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<para>Most PCI based Alphas can use ordinary PC-type VGA
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cards. The SRM contains enough smarts to make that work. It does
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not, however, mean that each and every PCI VGA card out on the
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street will work in an Alpha machine. Things like S3 Trio64,
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Mach64, and Matrox Millennium generally work. Old ET4000 based ISA
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cards have also worked for me. But ask around first before buying.
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Please note that TGA cards are not currently supported as &os; console
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display cards.</para>
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<para>Most PCI devices from the PC-world will also work in
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&os; PCI-based machines. Check the
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<filename>/sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC</filename> file for the latest word
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on this. Be careful to check the appropriate machine type's
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discussion in case you want to use PCI cards that have PCI bridge
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chips on them. In some cases you might encounter problems with
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PCI cards not handling PCI parity correctly. This can lead to
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panics. PCI parity checking can be disabled using the following
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SRM command: <userinput>SET PCI_PARITY OFF</userinput>.
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This is not a &os; problem, all operating systems running on
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Alpha hardware will need this workaround.</para>
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<para>If your system (also) contains EISA expansion slots you will
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need to run the EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) after you have
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installed EISA cards or have upgraded your console firmware.</para>
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<para>Parallel ports that can be found on most Alpha machines are
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supported.</para>
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<para>For Alpha CPUs you will find multiple generations. The
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original Alpha design is the 21064. It was produced in a chip
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process called MOS4, chips made in this process are nicknamed
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EV4. Newer CPUs are 21164, 21264 etc. You will see designations
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like EV4S, EV45, EV5, EV56, EV6, EV67. The EVs with double digit
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numbers are slightly improved versions. For example EV45 has an
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improved FPU and 16 kByte on-chip separate I & D caches compared
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to the EV4 on which it is based. Rule of thumb: the higher the
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digit immediately following <quote>EV</quote> the more desirable
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(read: faster / more modern).</para>
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<para>For memory you want at least 32 Mbytes. I have had
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&os; run on a 16 Mbyte system but you will not like
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that. Kernel build times halved when going to 32 Mbytes. Note that
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the SRM steals 2Mbyte from the total system memory (and keeps
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it). For more serious use 64 Mbytes or more are recommended.</para>
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<para>While on the subject of memory: pay close attention to the
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type of memory your machine uses. There are very different memory
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configurations and requirements for the various machines.</para>
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<para>Final word: I expect the above to sound a bit daunting to
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the first-time Alpha user. Don't be daunted too much. And do feel
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free to ask questions.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>System-Specific information</title>
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<para>Below is an overview of the hardware that &os; runs on. This list
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will definitely grow, a look in
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<filename>/sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC</filename> can be enlightening.</para>
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<para>Alpha machines are often best known by their project code name.
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Where known these are listed below in parentheses.</para>
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<sect3>
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<title>AXPpci33 (<quote>NoName</quote>)</title>
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<para>The NoName is a baby-AT mainboard based on the 21066 LCA
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(Low Cost Alpha) processor. It was originally designed for
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OEM-use. The LCA chip includes almost all of the logic to drive
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a PCI bus and the memory subsystem. All of this makes for a
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low-priced design.</para>
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<para>Due to the limited memory interface the system is not
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particularly fast in case of cache misses. As long as you stay
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inside the on-chip cache the CPU is comparable to a 21064 (first
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generation Alpha). These boards should be very cheap to obtain
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these days. It is a full-fledged 64 bit CPU, just don't expect
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miracles as far as speed goes.</para>
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<para>Features:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz
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(21068 CPUs are also possible, but are even slower. Never
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seen/used one)</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 0, 256k or 1 Mbyte (uses
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DIL chips)</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>PS/2 mouse & keyboard port OR 5pin DIN keyboard (2
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mainboard models)</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>memory:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>bus width: 64 bits</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>70ns or better</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>installed in pairs of 2
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>4 SIMM sockets</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>uses ECC</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist></para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>512kB Flash ROM for the console code.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>2x 16550A serial ports</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>1x parallel port</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>floppy interface</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>1x embedded IDE interface</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>expansion:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>3 32 bit PCI slots (1 shared with ISA)</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>5 ISA slots (1 shared with PCI)</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist></para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>embedded Fast SCSI using a Symbios 53C810
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chip</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<para>NoNames can either have SRM <emphasis>or</emphasis> ARC console
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firmware in their Flash ROM. The Flash ROM is not big enough to
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hold both ARC and SRM at the same time and allow software
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selection of alternate console code. But you need SRM-only
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anyway.</para>
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<para>Cache for the NoNames are 15 or 20 ns DIL chips. For a 256
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kByte cache you want to check your junked 486 mainboard. Chips
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for a 1 Mbyte cache are a rarer breed unfortunately. Getting at
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least a 256kByte cache is recommended performance
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wise. Cache-less they are really slow.</para>
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<para>The NoName mainboard has a PC/AT-standard power
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connector. It also has a power connector for 3.3 Volts. No need
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to rush out to get a new power supply. The 3.3 Volts is only
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needed in case you run 3.3 Volts PCI expansion boards.</para>
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<para>The IDE interface is supported by &os; and requires a
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line in the kernel configuration file as follows:</para>
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<programlisting>device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14</programlisting>
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<para>The SRM console unfortunately cannot <emphasis>boot</emphasis>
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from IDE disks.</para>
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<para>Make sure you use true 36 bit SIMMs, and only FPM (Fast
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Page Mode). EDO RAM or SIMMs with fake parity <emphasis>will not
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work</emphasis> (the board uses the 4 extra bits for ECC!). 33
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bit FPM SIMMs will for the same reason not work either.</para>
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<para>Given the choice, get the PS/2-variant mainboard. Apart
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from giving you a mouse port as bonus it is directly supported
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by Tru64 Unix in case you ever want/need to run it. The
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<quote>DIN-plug</quote>-variant should work OK for &os;.</para>
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<para>The <ulink
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url="ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/axppci/design_guide.ps">
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OEM manual</ulink> is recommended reading.</para>
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<para>The kernel configuration file for a NoName kernel must
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contain:</para>
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<programlisting>
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options DEC_AXPPCI_33
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cpu EV4
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</programlisting>
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</sect3>
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<sect3>
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<title>Universal Desktop Box (UDB or <quote>Multia</quote>)</title>
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|
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<para>Note: Multia can be either Intel or Alpha CPU based. We
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assume Alpha based ones here for obvious reasons.</para>
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<para>Multia is a small desktop box intended as a sort of
|
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personal workstation. They come in a considerable number of
|
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variations, check closely what you get.</para>
|
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|
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<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at
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233MHz</para>
|
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</listitem>
|
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<listitem>
|
|
<para>on-board Bcache / L2 cache: COAST-like 256 kByte
|
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cache module; 233MHz models have 512kByte of cache;
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166MHz models have soldered-on 256kB caches</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 mouse & keyboard port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>bus width: 64 bits</para>
|
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</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs</para>
|
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</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>70ns or better</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>installed in pairs of 2
|
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</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>4 SIMM sockets</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>uses ECC</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2x 16550A serial ports, 1x parallel port,
|
|
floppy interface</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>1x embedded 21040 based 10Mbit Ethernet, AUI and
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10base2 connector</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>expansion: 1 32 bit PCI slot, 2 PCMCIA slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>on-board Crystal CS4231 or AD1848 sound chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded Fast SCSI using a Symbios 53C810 chip on the
|
|
PCI riser card</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Multia has enough Flash ROM to store both SRM and ARC code
|
|
at the same time and allow software selection of one of them.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Multia has only one 32 bit PCI slot for expansion, and it
|
|
is only suitable for a small form factor PCI card too. In
|
|
sacrificing the PCI slot space you can mount a 3.5" hard disk
|
|
drive. Mounting stuff may have come with your Multia. Adding a
|
|
3.5" disk is not a recommended upgrade due to the limited power
|
|
rating of the power supply and the extremely marginal cooling of
|
|
the system box. <emphasis>Don't!</emphasis></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Multia also has 2 PCMCIA expansion slots. These are
|
|
currently unsupported by &os;.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The CPU might or might not be socketed, check before
|
|
considering CPU upgrade hacks. The low-end Multias have a
|
|
soldered-in CPU.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>It comes with a TGA based graphics on-board. TGA is not
|
|
currently suitable for console use with &os;. This means you will have
|
|
to run Multia using a serial console. Note that the boot of the
|
|
installation disk will appear to work fine using the TGA
|
|
console, but then switches to using the serial port. This is
|
|
even mentioned during by installer (but never read by the human
|
|
doing the install). Your keyboard appears dead from that point
|
|
on.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Multia has 2 serial ports but routes both of them to the
|
|
outside world on a single 25 pin sub-D connector. The Multia FAQ
|
|
explains how to build your own Y-cable to allow both ports to be
|
|
used.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Although the Multia SRM supports booting from floppy this
|
|
can be problematic. Typically the errors look like:
|
|
|
|
<screen>
|
|
*** Soft Error - Error #10 - FDC: Data overrun or underrun
|
|
</screen>
|
|
|
|
This is not a &os; problem, it is a SRM problem. The best available
|
|
workaround to install &os; is to boot from a SCSI CDROM.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Sound works fine using &man.pcm.4; driver and a line in the
|
|
kernel configuration file as follows for the Crystal CS4231
|
|
chip:</para>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530 irq 9 drq 3 flags 0x15
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
|
|
<para>I have not yet been successful in getting my Multia with
|
|
the AD1848 to play any sound.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>While verifying playback I was reminded of the lack of CPU
|
|
power of the 166MHz CPU. MP3 only plays acceptable using 22kHz
|
|
down-sampling.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Multias are somewhat notorious for dying of heat
|
|
strokes. The very compact box does not really allow cooling air
|
|
access very well. Please use the Multia on its vertical stand,
|
|
don't put it horizontally (<quote>pizza style</quote>). Replacing the
|
|
fan with something which pushes around more air is
|
|
recommended. Beware of PCI cards with high power consumption.
|
|
If your system has died you might want to check on the
|
|
Multia-Heat-Death pages at the
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.netbsd.org/">NetBSD Web site</ulink>.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge enables the use of an
|
|
IDE disk. This requires a line in the kernel configuration file
|
|
as follows:</para>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14</programlisting>
|
|
|
|
<para>The IDE connector pin spacing is thought for 2.5" laptop
|
|
disks. A 3.5" IDE disk would not fit in the case anyway. At
|
|
least not without sacrificing your only PCI slot.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The SRM console does not know how to boot from IDE
|
|
disks unfortunately.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In case you want to change the internal hard drive: the
|
|
internal flat cable running from the PCI riser board to the
|
|
<emphasis>2.5"</emphasis>
|
|
hard drive has a finer pitch than the standard SCSI flat
|
|
cables. Otherwise it would not fit on the 2.5" drives. There are
|
|
also riser cards that have a standard-pitch SCSI cable attached
|
|
to it, which will fit an ordinary SCSI disk.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Again, I recommend against trying to cram a replacement
|
|
hard disk inside. Use the external SCSI connector and put your
|
|
disk in an external enclosure. Multias run hot enough as-is. In
|
|
most cases you will have the external high density 50-pin SCSI
|
|
connector but some Multia models came without disk and may lack
|
|
the connector. Something to check before buying one.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The kernel configuration file for a Multia kernel must
|
|
contain:</para>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_AXPPCI_33
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
|
|
<para>Recommended reading on Multia can be found at
|
|
<ulink url="http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/multiafaq.html">
|
|
http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/multiafaq.html</ulink>
|
|
or <ulink url="http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/computers/udb.html">
|
|
http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/computers/udb.html</ulink>.</para>
|
|
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Personal Workstation (<quote>Miata</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Miata is a small tower machine intended to be put
|
|
under a desk. There are multiple Miata variants. The original
|
|
Miata is the MX5 model. Because it suffers from a number of
|
|
hardware design flaws a redesign was done, yielding the
|
|
MiataGL. Unfortunately the variants are not easily distinguishable
|
|
from the outside of the case.
|
|
An easy check is to see if the back of the machine sports two
|
|
USB connectors. If yes, it is a MiataGL.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>System designations look like <quote>Personal Workstation
|
|
433a</quote>. Personal Workstation, being a bit of a mouthful,
|
|
is often abbreviated to PWS. This means it has a 433 MHz CPU,
|
|
and started life as a WinNT workstation (the trailing
|
|
<quote>a</quote>). Systems designated from day 1 to run Tru64
|
|
Unix or OpenVMS will sport <quote>433au</quote>. WinNT-Miatas
|
|
are likely to come pre-configured with an IDE CDROM drive. So,
|
|
in general systems are named like PWS[433,500,600]a[u].
|
|
|
|
<para>There was also a Miata model with a special CPU cooling
|
|
system by Kryotech. The Kryotech has a special cooling system in a
|
|
different enclosure.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21164A EV56 Alpha CPU at 433, 500 or 600MHz</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21174 Core Logic (<quote>Pyxis</quote>) chip set</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>on-board Bcache / L3 cache: 0, 2 or 4 Mbytes (uses a
|
|
cache module)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem><para>memory:</para>
|
|
<para><itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>bus width: 128 bits wide, ECC protected</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>unbuffered SDRAMs DIMMs, installed in pairs of 2
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>6 DIMM sockets</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>maximum memory 1.5 Gbytes</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>on-board Fast Ethernet:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>MX5 uses a 21142 or 21143 Ethernet chip
|
|
dependent on the version of the PCI riser card</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>MiataGL has a 21143 chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>the bulkhead can be 10/100 UTP, or 10
|
|
UTP/BNC</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2x on-board [E]IDE based on the CMD646 (MX5) or the
|
|
Cypress 82C693 (MiataGL)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>1x Ultra-Wide SCSI Qlogic 1040 [MiataGL only]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2 64-bit PCI slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>3 32-bit PCI slots (behind a DEC PCI-PCI bridge chip)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>3 ISA slots (physically shared with the 32 bit PCI slots,
|
|
via an Intel 82378IB PCI to ISA bridge chip)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2x 16550A serial port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>1x parallel port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 keyboard & mouse port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>USB interface [MiataGL only]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded sound based on an ESS1888 chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Miata logic is divided into two printed circuit
|
|
boards. The lower board in the bottom of the machine has the
|
|
PCI and ISA slots and things like the sound chip etc. The top
|
|
board has the CPU, the Pyxis chip, memory etc. Note that MX5
|
|
and the MiataGL use a different PCI riser board. This means
|
|
that you cannot just upgrade to a MiataGL CPU board (with the
|
|
newer Pyxis chip) but that you will also need a different
|
|
riser board. Apparently an MX5 riser with a MiataGL CPU board
|
|
will work but it is definitely not a supported or tested
|
|
configuration. Everything else (cabinet, wiring, etc.) is
|
|
identical for MX5 and MiataGL.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>MX5 has problems with DMA via the 2 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
when this DMA crosses a page boundary. The 32 bit slots don't
|
|
have this problem because the PCI-PCI bridge chip does not
|
|
allow the offending transfers. The SRM code knows about the
|
|
problem and refuses to start the system if there is a PCI card
|
|
in one of the 64bit slots that it does not know about. Cards
|
|
that are <quote>known good</quote> to the SRM are allowed to
|
|
be used in the 64bit slots.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you want to fool the SRM you can type <userinput>set
|
|
pci_device_override</userinput> at the SRM prompt. Just don't
|
|
complain if your data mysteriously gets mangled.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The complete command is:
|
|
|
|
<screen><prompt>>>></prompt> <userinput>set pci_device_override <replaceable><vendor_id></replaceable><replaceable><device_id></replaceable></userinput></screen>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For example:</para>
|
|
|
|
<screen><prompt>>>></prompt> <userinput>set pci_device_override 88c15333</userinput></screen>
|
|
|
|
<para>The most radical approach is to use:</para>
|
|
|
|
<screen><prompt>>>></prompt> <userinput>set pci_device_override -1</userinput></screen>
|
|
|
|
<para>This disables PCI ID checking altogether, so that you
|
|
can install any PCI card without its ID getting
|
|
checked. For this to work you need a reasonable current SRM version.
|
|
<caution><para>Do this on your own risk.</para></caution></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The kernel reports it when it sees a buggy Pyxis chip:
|
|
<screen>Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
|
|
Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
|
|
Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: WARNING: Pyxis pass 1 DMA bug; no bets...</screen>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>A MiataGL probes as:
|
|
A
|
|
<screen>Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
|
|
Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
|
|
Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: pcib0: <2117x PCI host bus adapter> on cia0</screen>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>MiataGL does not have the DMA problems of the MX5. PCI
|
|
cards that make the MX5 SRM choke when installed in the 64bit
|
|
slots are accepted without problems by the MiataGL SRM.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The latest mainboard revisions of MX5 contain a hardware
|
|
workaround for the bug. The SRM does not know about the ECO
|
|
and will complain about unknown cards as before. So does the
|
|
&os; kernel by the way.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Miata SRM can boot from IDE CDROM drives. Hard disk
|
|
boot is known to work for both MiataGL and MX5 disks, so you
|
|
can root &os; from an IDE disk. Speeds on MX5 are around 14
|
|
Mbytes/sec assuming a suitable drive. Miata's CMD646 chip will
|
|
support up to WDMA2 mode as the chip is too buggy for use
|
|
with UDMA.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The MiataGL has a faster PCI-PCI bridge chip on the PCI
|
|
riser card than some of the MX5 riser card versions. Some of
|
|
the MX5 risers have the <emphasis>same</emphasis> chip as the
|
|
MiataGL. All in all there is a lot of variation.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Not all VGA cards will work behind the PCI-PCI
|
|
bridge. This manifests itself as no video at all. Workaround
|
|
is to put the VGA card <quote>before</quote> the bridge, in
|
|
one of the 64 bit PCI slots.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Both MX5 and MiataGL have an on-board sound chip, an
|
|
ESS1888. It emulates a SoundBlaster and can be enabled by
|
|
putting
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
device pcm0
|
|
device sbc0
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
in your kernel configuration file.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>in case your Miata has the optional cache board
|
|
installed make sure it is firmly seated. A slightly loose
|
|
cache has been observed to cause weird crashes (not surprising
|
|
obviously, but maybe not so obvious when troubleshooting). The
|
|
cache module is identical between MX5 and MiataGL.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Installing a 2Mb cache module achieves, apart from a
|
|
10-15% speed increase (based on buildworld elapsed time), a
|
|
<emphasis>decrease</emphasis> for PCI DMA read bandwidth from
|
|
64bit PCI cards. A benchmark on a 64-bit Myrinet card resulted
|
|
in a decrease from 149 Mbytes/sec to 115 Mbytes/sec. Something
|
|
to keep in mind when doing really high speed things with 64
|
|
bit PCI adapters.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you experience SRM errors like
|
|
|
|
<screen>ERROR: scancode 0xa3 not supported on PCXAL</screen>
|
|
|
|
after halting &os; you should update your SRM firmware to V7.2-1 or
|
|
later. This SRM version is first available on the Firmware
|
|
Update CD V5.7, or on <ulink
|
|
url="http://www.compaq.com/">http://www.compaq.com/</ulink> The
|
|
problem is fixed on both Miata MX5 and Miata GL.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>USB is supported by &os; 4.1 and later.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Disconnect the power cord before dismantling the
|
|
machine, the soft-power switch keeps part of the logic powered
|
|
even when the machine is switched off.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The kernel configuration file for a Miata kernel must
|
|
contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_ST550
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>DEC3000 family (the <quote>Bird</quote> machines)</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>The DEC3000 series were among the first Alpha machines
|
|
ever produced. They are based on an I/O bus called the
|
|
TurboChannel (TC) bus. These machines are built like tanks
|
|
(watch your back).</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC3000 can be subdivided in DEC3000/500-class and
|
|
DEC3000/300-class. The DEC3000/500-class is the early high-end
|
|
workstation/server Alpha family. Servers use serial consoles,
|
|
workstations have graphics tubes. DEC3000/300-class is the
|
|
lower-cost workstation class.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC3000/500-class are quite fast (considering their age)
|
|
thanks to the good memory design. DEC3000/300 is crippled
|
|
compared to DEC3000/500 because of its much narrower memory
|
|
bus.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>They are called <quote>Birds</quote> because their
|
|
internal DEC code names were bird names:
|
|
|
|
<informaltable>
|
|
<tgroup cols=3 align=left>
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="2*">
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/400</entry>
|
|
<entry>Sandpiper</entry>
|
|
<entry>133MHz CPU, desktop</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/500</entry>
|
|
<entry>Flamingo</entry>
|
|
<entry>150MHz CPU, floor standing</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/500X</entry>
|
|
<entry>Hot Pink</entry>
|
|
<entry>200MHz CPU, floor standing</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/600</entry>
|
|
<entry>Sandpiper+</entry>
|
|
<entry>175MHz CPU, desktop</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/700</entry>
|
|
<entry>Sandpiper45</entry>
|
|
<entry>225MHz CPU, floor standing</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/800</entry>
|
|
<entry>Flamingo Ultra</entry>
|
|
<entry>200MHz CPU, floor standing</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/900</entry>
|
|
<entry>Flamingo45</entry>
|
|
<entry>275MHz CPU, floor standing</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/300</entry>
|
|
<entry>Pelican</entry>
|
|
<entry>150MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/300X</entry>
|
|
<entry>Pelican+</entry>
|
|
<entry>175MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/300LX</entry>
|
|
<entry>Pelican+</entry>
|
|
<entry>125MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>DEC3000/300L</entry>
|
|
<entry></entry>
|
|
<entry>100MHz CPU, desktop, no TC slots</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
</tgroup>
|
|
</informaltable>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21064 CPU (100 to 200 MHz) or 21064A CPU (225 to 275
|
|
MHz)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>bus width: 256 bit, with ECC</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>proprietary 100pin SIMMs</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>installed in sets of 8 [DEC3000/500-class]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para><emphasis>or</emphasis></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para><itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>bus width: 64 bit, with ECC</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 style 72pin 36 bit FPM SIMMs 70ns or better</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>used in pairs of 2 [DEC3000/300-class]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Bcache / L2 cache: varying sizes, 512 kB to 2 Mbyte</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>built-in 10Mbit Ethernet based on a Lance 7990 chip,
|
|
AUI and UTP</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>one or two SCSI buses based on a NCR53C94 or a
|
|
NCR53CF94-2 chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2 serial ports based on Zilog 8530 (one usable as a
|
|
serial console)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded ISDN interface</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>on-board 8 bit sound</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>8 bit graphics on-board or via a TC card (depending
|
|
on model)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Currently DEC3000 machines can only be used diskless on
|
|
&os;. The reason for this is that the SCSI drivers needed
|
|
for the TC SCSI adapters were not brought into CAM that the
|
|
recent &os; versions use. TC option cards for single (PMAZ-A) or
|
|
dual fast SCSI (PMAZC-AA) are also available. These cards currently
|
|
have no drivers on &os; either.<para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC3000/300 has 5 MBytes/sec SCSI on-board. This bus is
|
|
used for both internal and external devices. DEC3000/500 has 2
|
|
SCSI buses. One is for internal devices only, the other one is
|
|
for external devices only.<para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Floppy devices found in the DEC3000s are attached to the
|
|
SCSI bus (via a bridge card). This makes it possible to boot from them
|
|
using the same device names as ordinary SCSI hard-disks, for example:
|
|
<screen><prompt>>>></prompt> <userinput>BOOT DKA300</userinput></screen>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The 3000/300 series has a half-speed TurboChannel compared
|
|
to the other 3000 machines. Some TC expansion cards have
|
|
troubles with the half-speed bus. Caveat emptor.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>ISDN does not work on &os;.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC3000/300-class uses standard 36 bit, 72 pin Fast Page
|
|
Mode SIMMs. EDO SIMMs, 32 or 33 bit SIMMs all will not work in
|
|
Pelicans. For 32Mbyte SIMMs to work on the DEC3000/300-class
|
|
the presence detect bits/pins of the SIMM must correspond to
|
|
what the machine expects. If they don't, the SIMM is
|
|
<quote>seen</quote> as a 8 Mbyte SIMM. 8 Mbyte and 32 Mbyte
|
|
SIMMs can be mixed, as long as the pairs themselves are
|
|
identical.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>When you find yourself in need of fixing 32Mbyte SIMMs
|
|
that lack correct presence bits the following info might be of
|
|
use:</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>There are four presence detection bits on PS/2 SIMMs. Two
|
|
of the bits indicate the access time. The other two indicate
|
|
the memory size.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>At one end of the SIMM there are two rows of four solder
|
|
pads. One row is connected to Vss (GND) and the other is
|
|
connected to pins 67 (PRD1), 68 (PRD2), 69 (PRD3), 70
|
|
(PRD4).</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you bridge a pair of pads with a small resistor or a
|
|
drop of solder you ground that particular bit.
|
|
|
|
<informaltable>
|
|
<tgroup cols=3 align=left>
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="2*">
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>PRD1</entry>
|
|
<entry>PRD2</entry>
|
|
<entry>Memory Size</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>4 or 64 Mbyte</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>2 or 32 Mbyte</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>1 or 16 Mbyte</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>8 Mbyte</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
</tgroup>
|
|
</informaltable>
|
|
|
|
<informaltable>
|
|
<tgroup cols=3 align=left>
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="*">
|
|
<colspec colwidth="2*">
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>PRD3</entry>
|
|
<entry>PRD4</entry>
|
|
<entry>Access Time</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>50 or 100 nsec</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>80 nsec</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>GND</entry>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>70 nsec</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
<row>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>Open</entry>
|
|
<entry>60 nsec</entry>
|
|
</row>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
</tgroup>
|
|
</informaltable>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC3000/500-class can use 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 Mbyte 100pin
|
|
SIMMs. Note that the maximum memory size varies from system to
|
|
system, desktop machines have sacrificed box size for less
|
|
memory SIMM sockets. Given enough sockets and enough SIMMs you
|
|
can get to 512 Mbytes maximum. This is one of the main
|
|
differences between floor standing and desktop machines, the
|
|
latter have far less SIMM sockets.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The sound hardware is not supported on any of the Birds.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>There is no X-Windows version available for the TC
|
|
machines. DEC3000/300 needs a serial console. DEC3000/500-class
|
|
might work with a graphical console. I ran mine with a serial
|
|
console so I cannot verify this.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Birds can be obtained from surplus sales etc. As they are
|
|
not PCI based they are no longer actively maintained. TC
|
|
expansion boards can be difficult to obtain these days and
|
|
support for them is not too good unless you write/debug the code
|
|
yourself. Programming information for TC boards is hard to
|
|
find. Birds are recommended only if a. you can get them cheap
|
|
and b. if you prepared to work on the code to support them
|
|
better.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the DEC3000/[4-9]00 series machines the kernel config
|
|
file must contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_3000_500
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the DEC3000/300 (<quote>Pelican</quote>) machines the
|
|
kernel config file must contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_3000_300
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Evaluation Board 64plus (<quote>EB64+</quote>), Aspen Alpine</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>In its attempts to popularize the Alpha CPU DEC produced a number
|
|
of so called Evaluation Boards. The EB64+ family boards have the
|
|
following feature set:</para>
|
|
|
|
<para><itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21064 or 21064A CPU, 150 to 275 MHz</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory buswidth: 128 bit</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 style 72 pin 33 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>70ns or better</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>installed in sets of 4</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>8 SIMM sockets</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>uses parity memory</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Bcache / L2 cache: 512 kByte, 1 Mbyte or 2 Mbytes</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21072 (<quote>APECS</quote>) chip set</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip (<quote>Saturn</quote>)
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>dual 16550A serial ports</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Symbios 53C810 Fast-SCSI</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded 10 Mbit Ethernet</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2 PCI slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>3 ISA slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Aspen Alpine is slightly different, but is close enough to the
|
|
EB64+ to run an EB64+ SRM EPROM (mine did..). The Aspen Alpine does
|
|
not have an embedded Ethernet, has 3 instead of 2 PCI slots. It comes
|
|
with 2 Mbytes of cache already soldered onto the mainboard. It has
|
|
jumpers to select the use of 60, 70 or 80ns SIMM speeds.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>36 bits SIMMs work fine, 3 bits simply remain unused.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The SRM console code is housed in an UV-erasable EPROM. No
|
|
easy flash SRM upgrades for the EB64+ The latest SRM version available
|
|
for EB64+ is quite ancient anyway.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The EB64+ SRM can boot both 53C810 and Qlogic1040 SCSI adapters.
|
|
Pitfall for the Qlogic is that the firmware that is down-loaded by
|
|
the SRM onto the Qlogic chip is very old. There are no updates for the
|
|
EB64+ SRM available. So you are stuck with old Qlogic bits too.
|
|
I have had quite some problems when I wanted to use Ultra-SCSI drives
|
|
on the Alpine with Qlogic. The &os; kernel can be compiled to include
|
|
a much newer Qlogic firmware revision. This is not the default because
|
|
it adds hundreds of kBytes worth of bloat to the kernel. In &os; 4.1
|
|
and later the isp firmware is contained in a kernel loadable module.
|
|
All of this might mean that you need to use a non-Qlogic adapter to
|
|
boot from.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the EB64+ class machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_EB64PLUS
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Evaluation Board 164 (<quote>EB164, PC164, PC164LX,
|
|
PC164SX</quote>) family</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>EB164 is a newer design evaluation board, based on the 21164A
|
|
CPU. This design has been used to 'spin off' multiple variations,
|
|
some of which are used by OEM manufacturers/assembly shops. Samsung
|
|
did its own PC164LX which has only 32 bit PCI, whereas the Digital
|
|
variant has 64 bit PCI.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para><itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21164A, multiple speed variants [EB164, PC164, PC164LX]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21164PC [only on PC164SX]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21174 (Alcor) chip set</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Bcache / L3 cache: EB164 uses special cache-SIMMs</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory bus: 128 bit / 256 bit</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para><itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory: PS/2 style SIMMs in sets of 4 or 8</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>36 bit, Fast Page Mode, uses ECC, [EB164 / PC164]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>SDRAM DIMMs in sets of 2, uses ECC [PC164SX / PC164LX]</para>
|
|
</listitem></itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>dual 16550A serial ports</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 style keyboard & mouse</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>floppy controller</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>parallel port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>32 bits PCI</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>64 bits PCI [some models]</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>ISA slots via an Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Using 8 SIMMs for a 256bit wide memory can yield interesting
|
|
speedups over a 4 SIMM/128bit wide memory. Obviously all 8 SIMMs must
|
|
be of the same type to make this work. The system must be explicitly
|
|
setup to use the 8 SIMM memory arrangement. You must have 8 SIMMs,
|
|
4 SIMMs distributed over 2 banks does not work.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The SRM can boot from Qlogic 10xx boards or the Symbios 53C810[A].
|
|
Newer Symbios 810 revisions like the Symbios 810AE are not recognized by
|
|
the SRM on PC164. PC164 SRM does not appear to recognize a Symbios 53C895
|
|
based host adapter (tested with a Tekram DC-390U2W). On the other hand
|
|
some no-name Symbios 53C985 board has been reported to work.
|
|
Cards like the Tekram DC-390F (Symbios875 based) have been confirmed to
|
|
work fine on the PC164. Unfortunately this seems to be dependent on the
|
|
actual version of the chip/board.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Symbios 53C825[a] will also work as boot adapter. Diamond
|
|
FirePort, although based on Symbios chips, is not bootable by the
|
|
PC164SX SRM. PC164SX is reported to boot fine with Symbios825,
|
|
Symbios875 and Symbios876 based cards. In addition, Adaptec
|
|
2940U and 2940UW are reported to work for booting (verified on
|
|
SRM V5.7-1). Adaptec 2930U2 and 2940U2[W] do not work.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>164LX and 164SX with SRM firmware version 5.8 or later can boot
|
|
from Adaptec 2940-series adapters.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In summary: this family of machines is 'blessed' with a
|
|
challenging compatibility as far as SCSI adapters go.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>On PC164 the SRM sometimes seems to loose its variable settings.
|
|
"For PC164, current superstition says that, to avoid losing settings,
|
|
you want to first downgrade to SRM 4.x and then upgrade to a 5.x"
|
|
One sample error that was observed was: "ERROR: ISA table corrupt!".
|
|
A sequence of a downgrade to SRM4.9, an 'isacfg -init' and an 'init'
|
|
made the problem go away. Some PC164 owners report they have never seen
|
|
the problem. </para>
|
|
|
|
<para>On PC164SX the AlphaBIOS allows you a selection to select 'SRM' to
|
|
be used as console on the next power up. This selection does
|
|
not appear to have any effect. In other words, you will get the
|
|
AlphaBIOS regardless of what you select. The fix is to reflash the
|
|
console ROM with the SRM code for PC164SX. This will overwrite the
|
|
AlphaBIOS and will get you the SRM console you desire. The SRM code
|
|
can be found on the Compaq Web site.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>PC164 can boot from IDE disks assuming your SRM version is
|
|
recent enough.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>EB164 needs a power supply that supplies 3.3 Volts. PC164 does
|
|
not implement the PS_ON signal that ATX power supplies need to switch on.
|
|
A simple switch pulling this signal to ground fixes this problem.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the EB164 class machines the kernel config file must
|
|
contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_EB164
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaStation 200 (<quote>Mustang</quote>) and 400
|
|
(<quote>Avanti</quote>) series</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Digital AlphaStation 200 and 400 series systems are early
|
|
low end PCI based workstations. The 200 and 250 series are
|
|
desktop boxes, the 400 series is a desk-side mini-tower.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21064 or 21064A CPU at speeds of 166 up to 333 MHz</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>DECchip 21071-AA (core logic chip-set) consisting of:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Cache/memory controller (one 21071-CA chip)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PCI interface (one 21071-DA chip)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Data path (two 21071-BA chips)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Bcache / L2 cache: 512 Kbytes (200 and 400 series) or 2048KBytes (250 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>64 bit bus width</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>8 to 384 MBytes of RAM</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>70 ns or better Fast Page DRAM</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>in three pairs (200 and 400 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>in two quads, so banks of four. (250 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory subsystem uses parity</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 keyboard and mouse port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>two 16550 serial ports</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>parallel port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>floppy disk interface</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>32 bit PCI expansion slots (3 for 400 series, 2 for 200 & 250 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>ISA expansion slots (4 for 400 series, 2 for 200 & 250 series)
|
|
(some ISA/PCI slots are physically shared)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded 21040-based Ethernet (200 & 250 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded Symbios 53c810 Fast SCSI-2 chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Intel 82378IB ("Saturn") PCI-ISA bridge chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>graphics is embedded TGA or PCI VGA (model dependent)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>16 bit sound (on 200 & 250 series)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The systems use parity memory SIMMs, but these do not need 36 bit
|
|
wide SIMMs. 33 bit wide SIMMs are sufficient, 36 bit SIMMs are
|
|
acceptable too. EDO or 32 bit SIMMs will not work. 4, 8, 16, 32 and
|
|
64 Mbyte SIMMs are supported.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The AS200 & AS250 sound hardware is reported to work OK assuming
|
|
you have the following line in your kernel config file:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530 irq 9 drq 0 flags 0x10011
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>AlphaStation 200 & 250 series have an automatic SCSI terminator.
|
|
This means that as soon as you plug a cable onto the external SCSI
|
|
connector the internal terminator of the system is disabled. It also
|
|
means that you should not leave unterminated cables plugged into
|
|
the machine.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>AlphaStation 400 series have an SRM variable that controls
|
|
termination. In case you have external SCSI devices connected you
|
|
must set this SRM variable using >>>
|
|
<userinput> set control_scsi_term external
|
|
</userinput>. If only internal SCSI devices are present use:
|
|
>>><userinput> set control_scsi_term internal</userinput></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the AlphaStation-[24][05]00 machines the kernel config file
|
|
must contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_2100_A50
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaStation 500 and 600 (<quote>Alcor</quote> &
|
|
<quote>Maverick</quote> for EV5, <quote>Bret</quote> for EV56)</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>AS500 and 600 were the high-end EV5 / PCI based workstations.
|
|
EV6 based machines have in the meantime taken their place as front
|
|
runners. AS500 is a desktop in a dark blue case (TopGun blue),
|
|
AS600 is a sturdy desk-side box. AS600 has a nice LCD panel to observe
|
|
the early stages of SRM startup.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21164 EV5 CPU at 266, 300, 333, 366, 400, 433, 466, or
|
|
500 MHz (AS500) or at 266, 300 or 333 MHz (AS600)<para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21171 or 21172 (Alcor) core logic chip-set</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>cache: 2 or 4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 266 MHz)
|
|
4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 300 MHz)
|
|
2 or 8 Mb L3 / Bcache (8 Mb on 500 MHz version only)
|
|
2 to 16 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600; 3 cache-SIMM slots)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory bus: 256 bits
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem><para>AS500 memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>industry standard 8 byte wide buffered DIMMs</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>8 DIMM slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>installed in sets of 4</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>maximum memory is 1 Gb (512 Mb max on 333 MHz CPUs)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>uses ECC </para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
<listitem><para>AS600 memory:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>industry standard 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>32 SIMM slots</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>installed in sets of 8</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>maximum memory is 1 Gb</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>uses ECC</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Qlogic 1020 based wide SCSI bus (1 bus/chip for AS500,
|
|
2 buses/chip for AS600)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21040 based 10 Mbit Ethernet adapter, both Thinwire
|
|
and UTP connectors</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>expansion: AS500: 3 32-bit PCI slots
|
|
1 64-bit PCI slot
|
|
AS600: 2 32-bit PCI slot
|
|
3 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
1 PCI/EISA physically shared slot
|
|
3 EISA slots
|
|
1 PCI and 1 EISA slot are occupied by default
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21050 PCI-to-PCI bridge chip</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Intel 82375EB PCI-EISA bridge (AS600 only)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2 16550A serial ports</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>1 parallel port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>16 bit audio Windows Sound System, in a dedicated slot (AS500)
|
|
in EISA slot (AS600, this is an ISA card)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>PS/2 keyboard and mouse port</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist></para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Early machines had Fast SCSI interfaces, later ones are Ultra
|
|
SCSI capable. AS500 shares its single SCSI bus with internal and external
|
|
devices. For a Fast SCSI bus you are limited to 1.8 meters bus
|
|
length external to the box. +++ This is what some DEC docs suggest.
|
|
Did they ever go UltraSCSI?</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>AS600 has one Qlogic SCSI chip dedicated to the internal devices
|
|
whereas the other Qlogic SCSI chip is dedicated to external SCSI devices.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In AS500 DIMMs are installed in sets of 4, in 'physically
|
|
interleaved' layout. So, a bank of 4 DIMMs is *not* 4 physically
|
|
adjacent DIMMs!</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In AS600 the memory SIMMs are placed onto two memory daughter
|
|
cards. SIMMs are installed in sets of 8. Both memory daughter cards must
|
|
be populated identically.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>AS600 has a peculiarity for its PCI slots. AS600 (or rather the
|
|
PCI expansion card containing the SCSI adapters) does not allow I/O port
|
|
mapping, therefore all devices behind it must use memory mapping. If you
|
|
have problems getting the Qlogic SCSI adapters to work, add the following
|
|
option to /boot/loader.rc:
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>set isp_mem_map=0xff</programlisting>
|
|
|
|
This may need to be typed at the boot loader prompt before booting the
|
|
installation kernel.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>For the AlphaStation-[56]00 machines the kernel config file
|
|
must contain:
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
options DEC_KN20AA
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting></para>
|
|
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaServer 1000 (<quote>Mikasa</quote>), 1000A (<quote>Noritake</quote>) and 800</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The AlphaServer 1000 and 800 range of machines is aimed as departmental servers.
|
|
They come in quite some variations in packaging and mainboard/cpu. Generally
|
|
speaking there are 21064 (EV4) CPU based machines and 21164 (EV5) based
|
|
ones. The CPU is on a daughter card, and the type of CPU (EV4 or EV5) must
|
|
match the mainboard in use. AlphaServer 800 is a much smaller mini tower
|
|
case, it lacks the StorageWorks SCSI hot-plug chassis. The main difference
|
|
between AS1000 and AS1000A is that AS1000A has 7 PCI slots whereas AS1000
|
|
only has 3 PCI slots and has EISA slots instead. AS800 with an EV5/400 MHz
|
|
CPU was later re-branded as a DIGITAL Server 3300[R], AS800 with an EV5/500 MHz
|
|
CPU was later re-branded as a DIGITAL Server 3305[R].
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21064 EV4[5] CPU at 200, 233 or 266 MHz
|
|
21164 EV5[6] CPU at 300, 333 or 400 MHz (or 500 MHz for AS800 only)
|
|
- cache:
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit with ECC
|
|
- memory:
|
|
AS1000[A]-systems:
|
|
Use 72pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs, 70ns or better
|
|
16 or 20 SIMM slots
|
|
max memory is 1 Gb
|
|
uses ECC
|
|
AS800:
|
|
Uses SDRAM DIMMs.
|
|
- embedded VGA (on some mainboard models)
|
|
- expansion:
|
|
3 PCI, 2 EISA, 1 64-bit PCI/EISA combo (AS800)
|
|
7 PCI, 2 EISA (AS1000A)
|
|
2 PCI, 1 EISA/PCI, 7 EISA (AS1000)
|
|
- embedded SCSI based on Symbios 810 [AS1000] or Qlogic 1020 [AS1000A]
|
|
|
|
Box:
|
|
AS1000 based machines come in multiple boxes. Floor standing, rack-mount,
|
|
with or without StorageWorks SCSI chassis etc. The electronics are the
|
|
same.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
AS1000-systems:
|
|
All EV4 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets
|
|
of 5. The fifth SIMM is used for ECC.
|
|
All EV5 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets
|
|
of 4. The ECC is done based on the 4 extra bits per SIMM (4 bits out of 36).
|
|
The EV5 mainboards have 16 SIMM slots, the EV4 mainboards have 20 slots.
|
|
|
|
AS800:
|
|
Uses DIMMs in sets of 4. DIMM installation must start in slots marked
|
|
bank 0. A bank is four physically adjacent slots. The biggest size DIMMs
|
|
must be installed in bank 0 in case 2 banks of different DIMM sizes are
|
|
used. Max memory size is 2Gb.
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
The AS1000/800 are somewhat stubborn when it comes to serial
|
|
consoles. They need >>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL before they go for
|
|
a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient,
|
|
like it is on most other Alpha models. Going back to a graphical console
|
|
needs >>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS at the serial console.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
For AS800 you want to check if your Ultra-Wide SCSI is indeed in Ultra mode.
|
|
This can be done using the EEROMCFG.EXE utility that is on the Firmware
|
|
Upgrade CDROM.
|
|
|
|
For the AlphaServer1000/1000A/800 machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_1000A
|
|
cpu EV4 # depends on the CPU model installed
|
|
cpu EV5 # depends on the CPU model installed
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>DS10/VS10/XP900 (<quote>Webbrick</quote>) / XP1000 (<quote>Monet</quote>) / DS10L
|
|
(<quote>Slate</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
Webbrick and Monet are high performance workstations/servers based on the
|
|
EV6 CPU and the Tsunami chipset. Tsunami is also used in much higher-end
|
|
systems and as such has plenty of performance to offer. DS10, VS10 and XP900
|
|
are different names for essentially the same system. The difference are the
|
|
software and options that are supported. DS10L is a DS10 based machine in a 1U
|
|
high rackmount enclosure. DS10L is intended for ISPs and for HPTC clusters
|
|
(e.g. Beowulf).
|
|
|
|
Monet has, by 1999 standards, *stunning* (the words of a satisfied
|
|
user) memory and I/O system bandwidth.
|
|
|
|
** Webbrick / Slate
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264 EV6 CPU at 466 MHz
|
|
- L2 / Bcache: 2MB, ECC protected
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit via crossbar, 1.3GB/sec to memory
|
|
- memory: industry standard 200 pin 83 MHz buffered ECC SDRAM DIMMs
|
|
4 DIMM slots (2 for DS10L)
|
|
installed in pairs of 2
|
|
max memory is 2 Gb (1Gb for DS10L)
|
|
- 21271 Core Logic chipset ("Tsunami")
|
|
- 2 on-board 21143 Fast Ethernet controllers
|
|
- AcerLabs M5237 (Aladdin-V) USB controller
|
|
- AcerLabs M1533 PCI-ISA bridge
|
|
- AcerLabs Aladdin ATA-33 controller
|
|
- embedded dual EIDE
|
|
- expansion: 3 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
1 32-bit PCI slots
|
|
DS10L has a single 64bit PCI slot
|
|
- 2x 16550A serial ports
|
|
- 1x parallel port
|
|
- 2x USB
|
|
- PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
The system has a smart power controller. This means that parts of the system
|
|
remain powered when it is switched off (like an ATX-style PC power supply).
|
|
Before servicing the machine remove the power cord.
|
|
|
|
Case:
|
|
Webbrick is shipped in a desktop-style case similar to the older 21164
|
|
"Maverick" workstations but which offers much better access to
|
|
components. If you intend to build a farm you can rackmount them in a
|
|
19-inch rack; they are 3U high. Slate is 1U high but has only one PCI slot.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
DS10 has 4 DIMM slots. DIMMs are installed as pairs. Please note that
|
|
DIMM pairs are not installed in adjacent DIMM sockets but rather physically
|
|
interleaved. DIMM sizes of 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 Mbytes are supported.
|
|
|
|
When 2 pairs of identical-sized DIMMs are installed DS10 will use memory
|
|
interleaving for higher performance. DS10L, which has only 2 DIMM slots cannot
|
|
do interleaving.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
Starting with SRM firmware version 5.9 you can boot from Adaptec 2940-series
|
|
adapters in addition to the usual set of Qlogic and Symbios/NCR adapters.
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
The base model comes with a FUJITSU 9.5GB ATA disk as its boot device.
|
|
&os; works just fine using EIDE disks on Webbrick. DS10 has 2 IDE
|
|
interfaces on the mainboard.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
On the PCI bus 32 and 64 bit cards are supported, in 3.3V and 5V variants.
|
|
|
|
USB:
|
|
Is supported in &os; 4.1 and later.
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_ST6600
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
|
|
kernel config file. The 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title><quote>Monet</quote></title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264 EV6 at 500 MHz
|
|
21264 EV67 at 500 or 667 MHz (XP1000G, codenamed Brisbane)
|
|
CPU is mounted on a daughter-card which is field-upgradable
|
|
- L2 / Bcache: 4MB, ECC protected
|
|
- memory bus: 256 bit
|
|
- memory: 128 or 256 Mbytes 100 MHz (PC100) 168 pin JEDEC standard,
|
|
registered ECC SDRAM DIMMs
|
|
- 21271 Core Logic chip-set ("Tsunami")
|
|
- 1 on-board 21143 Ethernet controller
|
|
- Cypress 82C693 USB controller
|
|
- Cypress 82C693 PCI-ISA bridge
|
|
- Cypress 82C693 controller
|
|
- expansion: 2 independent PCI buses, driven by high-speed I/O
|
|
channels called 'hoses':
|
|
hose 0: (the upper 3 slots)
|
|
2 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
1 32-bit PCI slot
|
|
hose 1: (the bottom 2 slots)
|
|
2 32-bit PCI slots (behind a 21154 PCI-PCI bridge)
|
|
2 of the 64-bit PCI slots are for full-length cards
|
|
all of the 32-bit PCI slots are for short cards
|
|
1 of the 32-bit PCI slots is physically shared with an ISA slot
|
|
all PCI slots run at 33MHz
|
|
- 1x Ultra-Wide SCSI port based on a Qlogic 1040 chip
|
|
- 2x 16550A serial port
|
|
- 1x parallel port
|
|
- PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
|
|
- embedded 16-bit ESS ES1888 sound chip
|
|
- 2x USB
|
|
- graphics options: ELSA Gloria Synergy or DEC/Compaq PowerStorm 3D
|
|
accelerator cards
|
|
|
|
Case:
|
|
Monet is housed in a mini-tower like enclosure quite similar to the Miata
|
|
box.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
The on-board Qlogic UW-SCSI chip supports up to 4 internal devices. There is
|
|
no external connector for the on-board SCSI.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
For 500 MHz CPUs 83 MHz DIMMs will do. Compaq specifies PC100 DIMMs for
|
|
all CPU speeds. DIMMs are installed in sets of 4, starting with the
|
|
DIMM slots marked '0'. Memory capacity is max 4 Gb.
|
|
DIMMs are installed 'physically interleaved', note the markings of the
|
|
slots. Memory bandwidth of Monet is twice that of Webbrick. The DIMMs live
|
|
on the CPU daughter-card. Note that the system uses ECC RAM so you need DIMMs
|
|
with 72 bits (not the PC-class 64 bit DIMMs)
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
Is usable / bootable for system disk so &os; can be rooted on an EIDE
|
|
disk. Although the Cypress chip has potential for 2 EIDE channels Monet uses
|
|
only one of them.
|
|
|
|
USB:
|
|
If you experience problems trying to use the USB interface please check if
|
|
the SRM variable "usb_enable" is set to "on". You can change this by
|
|
performing: "set usb_enable on" at the SRM >>> prompt.
|
|
|
|
Expansion caveats:
|
|
- Don't try to use Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the PCI slots
|
|
connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found &os; bug that prevents this
|
|
from working correctly.
|
|
- Not all VGA cards will work behind the PCI-PCI bridge (so in slots 4 & 5).
|
|
Only cards that implement VGA-legacy addressing correctly will work. Workaround
|
|
is to put the VGA card 'before' the bridge.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
|
|
The sound chip is not currently supported with &os;. There is work in
|
|
progress in this area.
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_ST6600
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
|
|
kernel config file. The 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>DS20/DS20E (<quote>Goldrush</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21264 EV6 CPU at 500 or 670 MHz</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>dual CPU capable machine</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory bus: dual 256 bit wide with crossbar switch</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory: SDRAM DIMMs, installed in sets of 4, uses
|
|
ECC, 16 DIMM slots, max. 4Gb</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21271 Core Logic chip-set
|
|
(<quote>Tsunami</quote>)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded Adaptec ? Wide Ultra SCSI</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>expansion: 2 independent PCI buses, driven by high-speed I/O
|
|
channels called <quote>hoses</quote>, 6 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
(3 per hose), 1 ISA slot</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DS20 needs <userinput>SET CONSOLE SERIAL</userinput>
|
|
before it goes for a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from
|
|
the machine is not sufficient. Going back to a graphical console
|
|
needs <userinput>SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS</userinput> at the serial
|
|
console. Confusing is the fact that you will get SRM console
|
|
output on the graphics console with the console set to serial,
|
|
but when &os; boots it honors the <literal>CONSOLE</literal>
|
|
variable setting and all the boot messages as well as the login
|
|
prompt will go to the serial port.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The DS20 is housed in a fat cube-like enclosure. The
|
|
enclosure also contains a StorageWorks SCSI hot-swap shelf for a
|
|
maximum of 7 3.5" SCSI devices. The DS20E is in a sleeker
|
|
case, without the StorageWorks shelf.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The embedded Adaptec SCSI chip on the DS20 is disabled and
|
|
is therefore not usable under &os;.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Starting with SRM firmware version 5.9 you can boot from
|
|
Adaptec 2940-series adapters in addition to the usual set of
|
|
Qlogic and Symbios/NCR adapters. This unfortunately does not
|
|
include the embedded Adaptec SCSI chips.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you are using banks of DIMMs of different sizes the
|
|
biggest DIMMs should be installed in the DIMM slots marked
|
|
<literal>0</literal> on the mainboard. The DIMM slots should be
|
|
filled <quote>in order</quote> so after bank 0 install in bank 1
|
|
and so on.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Don't try to use Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the
|
|
PCI slots connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found &os; bug
|
|
that prevents this from working correctly. DS20 ships by default
|
|
with a Symbios on hose 1 so you have to move this card before
|
|
you can install/boot &os; on it.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>options DEC_ST6600
|
|
cpu EV5</programlisting>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Contrary to expectation there is no <literal>cpu
|
|
EV6</literal> defined for inclusion in the kernel config
|
|
file. The <literal>cpu EV5</literal> is mandatory to keep
|
|
&man.config.8; happy.</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaPC 264DP / UP2000</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>Features:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21264 EV6 CPU at 670 MHz</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>dual CPU capable</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory bus: 256 bit</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>memory: SDRAM DIMMs installed in sets of 4, uses
|
|
ECC, 16 DIMM slots, max. 4Gb</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>21272 Core Logic chip-set (<quote>Tsunami</quote>)</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded Adaptec AIC7890/91 Wide Ultra SCSI</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>2x embedded IDE based on Cypress 82C693 chips</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>embedded USB via Cypress 82C693</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>expansion: 2 independent PCI buses driven by high-speed I/O
|
|
channels called <quote>hoses</quote>, 6 64-bit PCI slots
|
|
(3 per hose), 1 ISA slot</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>A maximum of 2Gb memory is supported by &os;.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The on-board Adaptec is not bootable but works with &os;
|
|
4.0 and later as a datadisk-only SCSI bus.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Busmaster DMA is supported on the first IDE interface
|
|
only.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>options DEC_ST6600
|
|
cpu EV5</programlisting>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>Contrary to expectation there is no <literal>cpu
|
|
EV6</literal> defined for inclusion in the kernel config
|
|
file. The <literal>cpu EV5</literal> is mandatory to keep
|
|
&man.config.8; happy.</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaServer 2000 (<quote>DemiSable</quote>), 2100
|
|
(<quote>Sable</quote>), 2100A (<quote>Lynx</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The AlphaServer 2[01]00 machines are aimed as departmental servers.
|
|
This is medium iron, not a hobbyist system. These are multi-CPU machines,
|
|
up to 2 CPUs (AS2000) or 4 CPUs (2100[A]) can be installed.
|
|
Both floor-standing and 19" rackmount boxes exist. Rackmount variations have
|
|
different numbers of I/O expansion slots, different max number of CPUs and
|
|
different maximum memory size. Some of the boxes come with an integral
|
|
StorageWorks shelf to house hot-swap SCSI disks. There was an upgrade program
|
|
available to convert your Sable machine into a Lynx by swapping the
|
|
I/O backplane (the C-bus backplane remains). CPU upgrades were available
|
|
as well.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21064 EV4[5] CPU[s] at 200, 233, 275 MHz
|
|
- 21164 EV5[6] CPU[s]s at 250, 300, 375, 400 MHz
|
|
- cache: varies in size with the CPU model; 1, 4 or 8Mbyte per CPU
|
|
- embedded floppy controller driving a 2.88 Mbytes drive
|
|
- embedded 10Mbit 21040 Ethernet [AS2100 only]
|
|
- 2 serial ports
|
|
- 1 parallel port
|
|
- PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Lynx support is currently flagged as experimental due to lack of
|
|
testing / test hardware.
|
|
|
|
CPU:
|
|
The CPUs spec-ed as 200 MHz are in reality running at 190 MHz. Maximum
|
|
number of CPUs is 4. All CPUs must be of the same type/speed.
|
|
|
|
If any of the processors are ever marked as failed, they will
|
|
remain marked as failed even after they have been replaced (or reseated)
|
|
until you issue the command 'clear_error all' on the SRM console and
|
|
power-cycle the machine. This may be true for other modules (IO and memory)
|
|
as well, but it has not been verified.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
The machines use dedicated memory boards. These boards live on a 128 bit
|
|
C-bus shared with the CPU boards. DemiSable supports up to 1Gb, Sable up
|
|
to 2Gb. One of the memory bus slots can either hold a CPU or a memory card.
|
|
A 4 CPU machine can have a maximum of 2 memory boards.
|
|
|
|
Some memory board modules house SIMMs. These are called SIMM carriers.
|
|
There are also memory modules that have soldered-on memory chips
|
|
instead of SIMMs. These are called 'flat memory modules'.
|
|
|
|
SIMM boards are used in sets of eight 72-pin 36 bit FPM memory of 70ns
|
|
or faster. SIMM types supported are 1Mb x36 bit (4 Mbyte) and 4Mb x36
|
|
bit (16 Mbyte). Each memory board can house 4 banks of SIMMs. SIMM
|
|
sizes can not be mixed on a single memory board. The first memory
|
|
module must be filled with SIMMs before starting to fill the next
|
|
memory module. Note that the spacing between the slots is not that
|
|
big, so make sure your SIMMs fit physically (before buying them..)
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
Both Lynx and Sable are somewhat stubborn when it comes to serial
|
|
consoles. They need >>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL before they go for
|
|
a serial console. Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient,
|
|
like it is on most other Alpha models. Going back to a graphical console
|
|
needs >>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS at the serial console. On Lynx keep the
|
|
VGA card in one of the primary PCI slots.
|
|
|
|
The machines are equipped with a small OCP (Operator Control Panel) LCD
|
|
screen. On this screen the self-test messages are displayed during system
|
|
initialization. You can put your own little text there by using the SRM:
|
|
>>> SET OCP_TEXT "FreeBSD"
|
|
|
|
The SRM >>> SHOW FRU command produces an overview of your configuration
|
|
with module serial numbers, hardware revisions and error log counts.
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
Both Sable, DemiSable and Lynx have Symbios 810 based Fast SCSI on-board.
|
|
Check if it is set to Fast SCSI speed by >>> SHOW PKA0_FAST. If set to
|
|
1 it is negotiating for Fast speeds. >>> SET PKA0_FAST 1 enables Fast
|
|
speeds.
|
|
|
|
Internal disk storage:
|
|
AS2100[A] come equipped with a StorageWorks 7 slot SCSI cage. A second cage
|
|
can be added inside the cabinet. AS2000 has a single 7 slot SCSI cage,
|
|
which cannot be expanded with an additional one. Note that the slot
|
|
locations in these cages map differently to SCSI IDs compared to the
|
|
standard StorageWorks shelves. Slot IDs from top to bottom
|
|
are 0, 4, 1, 5, 2, 6, 3 when using a single bus configuration. The cage
|
|
can also be set to provide two independent SCSI buses. This is used for
|
|
embedded RAID controllers like the KZPSC (Mylex DAC960). Slot ID assignments
|
|
for split bus are, from top to bottom: 0A, 0B, 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B.
|
|
Where A and B signify a SCSI bus. In a single bus configuration the
|
|
terminator module on the back of the SCSI cage is on the TOP. The jumper
|
|
module is on the BOTTOM. For split bus operation these two modules are
|
|
reversed. The terminator can be distinguished from the jumper by noting the
|
|
chips on the terminator. The jumper does not have any active components on
|
|
it.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
DemiSable has 7 EISA slots and 3 PCI slots. Sable has 8 EISA and 3 PCI
|
|
slots. Lynx, being newer, has 8 PCI and 3 EISA slots. The Lynx PCI slots
|
|
are grouped in sets of 4. The 4 PCI slots closest to the CPU/memory
|
|
slots are the primary slots, so logically before the PCI bridge chip.
|
|
Note that contrary to expectation the primary PCI slots are the highest
|
|
numbered ones (PCI4 - PCI7).
|
|
|
|
Make sure you run the EISA Configuration Utility (from floppy) when
|
|
adding/change expansion cards in EISA slots or after upgrading your
|
|
console firmware. This is done by inserting the ECU floppy and typing
|
|
RUNECU at the SRM >>> prompt.
|
|
|
|
NOTE: EISA slots are currently unsupported, but the Compaq Qvision
|
|
EISA VGA adapter is treated as an ISA device. It therefore
|
|
works OK as a console.
|
|
|
|
A special Extended I/O module for use on the C-bus was planned-for.
|
|
Whether they ever saw daylight is unknown. In any case &os; has never
|
|
been verified with an ExtIO module.
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
The machines can be equipped with redundant power supplies. Note that
|
|
the enclosure is equipped with interlock switches that switch off power
|
|
when the enclosure is opened. The system's cooling fans are speed
|
|
controlled. When the machine has more than 2 CPUs and more than 1 memory
|
|
board dual power supplies are mandatory.
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_2100_A500
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaServer 4100 (<quote>Rawhide</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The AlphaServer 4100 machine is aimed as an enterprise server.
|
|
Expect a 30" high pedestal cabinet or alternatively the same system box in a
|
|
19" rack. This is medium iron, not a hobbyist system.
|
|
These are multi-CPU machines, up to 4 CPUs can be in a single
|
|
machine. Basic disk storage is housed in one or two StorageWorks shelves
|
|
at the bottom of the pedestal. The Rawhides intended for the NT market are
|
|
designated DIGITAL Server 7300 (5/400 CPU), DIGITAL Server 7305 (5/533 CPU).
|
|
A trailing R on the part-number means a rackmount variant.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21164 EV5 CPUs at 266, 300 MHz
|
|
21164A EV56 CPUs at 400, 466, 533, 600 and 666 Mhz
|
|
- cache: 4 Mbytes per CPU (EV5 300 MHz was also available cache-less)
|
|
8 Mbytes (EV5 600Mhz only)
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit with ECC
|
|
- embedded floppy controller
|
|
- 2 serial ports
|
|
- 1 parallel port
|
|
- PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
Rawhide uses a maximum of 8 RAM modules. These modules are used in pairs
|
|
and supply 72 bits to the bus (this includes ECC bits). Memory can be EDO
|
|
RAM or synchronous DRAM. A fully populated Rawhide has 4 pairs of memory
|
|
modules. Given the choice use SDRAM for best performance. The highest
|
|
capacity memory board must be in memory slot 0. A mix of memory board sizes
|
|
is allowed. A mix of EDO and SDRAM is also reported as working (assuming you
|
|
don't try to mix EDO and SDRAM in one module pair).
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
Rawhide has an embedded Symbios 810 Fast SCSI bus.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
Rawhides are available with a 8 64-bit PCI / 3 EISA slot expansion backplanes
|
|
(called 'Saddle' modules). There are 2 separate PCI buses, PCI0 and PCI1.
|
|
PCI0 has 1 dedicated PCI slot and (shared) 3 PCI/EISA slots. PCI0 also has a
|
|
PCI/EISA bridge that drives things like the serial and parallel ports,
|
|
keyboard/mouse etc. PCI1 has 4 PCI slots and an Symbios 810 SCSI chip. VGA
|
|
console cards must be installed in a slot connected to PCI0.
|
|
|
|
The current implementation has problems in handling PCI bridges. There is
|
|
currently a limited fix in place which allows for single level, single device
|
|
PCI bridges. The fix allows for the Digital supplied Qlogic SCSI card which
|
|
sits behind a 21054 PCI bridge chip.
|
|
|
|
NOTE: EISA slots are currently unsupported, but the Compaq Qvision
|
|
EISA VGA adapter is treated as an ISA device. It therefore
|
|
works OK as a console.
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
The system employs an I2C based power controller system. If you want to be
|
|
sure all power is removed from the system pull the mains cables from the
|
|
system.
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_KN300
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaServer 1200 (<quote>Tincup</quote>) and AlphaStation
|
|
1200 (<quote>DaVinci</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The AlphaServer 1200 machine is the successor to the AlphaServer 1000A.
|
|
It uses the same enclosure the 1000A uses, but the logic is based on the
|
|
AlphaServer 4000 design. These are multi-CPU machines, up to 2 CPUs can
|
|
be in a single machine. Basic disk storage is housed in a StorageWorks shelves
|
|
The AS1200 intended for the NT market are designated DIGITAL Server 5300
|
|
(5/400 CPU) and DIGITAL Server 5305 (5/533 CPU).
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21164A EV56 CPUs at 400 or 533 Mhz
|
|
- cache: 4 Mbytes per CPU
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit with ECC
|
|
DIMM memory on two memory daughter boards
|
|
- embedded floppy controller
|
|
- 2 serial ports
|
|
- 1 parallel port
|
|
- PS/2 style keyboard & mouse port
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
AS1200 uses 2 memory daughter cards. On each of these cards are 8 DIMM slots.
|
|
DIMMs must be installed in pairs. The maximum memory size is 4 Gbytes.
|
|
Slots must be filled in order and slot 0 must contain the largest size
|
|
DIMM if different sized DIMMs are used. AS1200 employs fixed starting
|
|
addresses for DIMMs, each DIMM pair starts at a 512 Mbyte boundary.
|
|
This means that if DIMMs smaller than 256 Mbyte are used the system's
|
|
physical memory map will contain 'holes'. Supported DIMM sizes are 64 Mbytes
|
|
and 256 Mbytes. The DIMMs are 72 bit SDRAM based, as the system employs ECC.
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
AS1200 has an embedded Symbios 810 Fast SCSI bus.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
AS1200 has 5 64-bit PCI slots, one 1 32-bit PCI slot and one EISA slot
|
|
(which is physically shared with one of the 64-bit PCI slots).
|
|
There are 2 separate PCI buses, PCI0 and PCI1. PCI0 has the 32-bit PCI
|
|
slot and the 2 top-most 64-bit PCI slots. PCI0 also has an Intel 82375EB
|
|
PCI/EISA bridge that drives things like the serial and parallel ports,
|
|
keyboard/mouse etc. PCI1 has 4 64-bit PCI slots and an Symbios 810 SCSI chip.
|
|
VGA console cards must be installed in a slot connected to PCI0.
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
The system employs an I2C based power controller system. If you want to be
|
|
sure all power is removed from the system pull the mains cables from the
|
|
system. Tincup uses dual power supplies in load-sharing mode and not
|
|
as a redundancy pair.
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_KN300
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 (<quote>TurboLaser</quote>)</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 machines are aimed as enterprise servers.
|
|
Expect a tall 19" cabinet (8200) or fat (8400) 19" rack. This is big iron,
|
|
not a hobbyist system. These are multi-CPU machines, up to 12 CPUs can be in
|
|
a single machine. The TurboLaser System Bus (TLSB) allows 9 nodes on the
|
|
AS8400 and 5 nodes on the AS8200. TLSB is 256 bit data, 40 bit address
|
|
allowing 2.1 Gbytes/sec. Nodes on the TLSB can be CPUs, memory or I/O. A
|
|
maximum of 3 I/O ports are supported on a TLSB. Basic disk storage is housed
|
|
in a StorageWorks shelf.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21164 EV5 CPUs at up to 467 MHz
|
|
21264 EV67 CPUs at up to 625 MHz
|
|
one or two CPUs per CPU module
|
|
- cache: 4Mbytes per CPU
|
|
- memory bus: 256 bit with ECC
|
|
- memory:
|
|
uses big memory modules that plug into the TLSB, which in turn
|
|
hold special SIMM modules.
|
|
memory modules come in varying sizes, up to 2 Gbytes a piece.
|
|
uses ECC (8 bites per 64 bits of data)
|
|
7 modules max for AS8400, 3 modules max for AS8200
|
|
maximum memory is 14 Gbytes
|
|
- expansion:
|
|
3 system 'I/O ports' that allow up to 12 I/O channels
|
|
each I/O channel can connect to XMI, Futurebus+ or PCI boxes
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
&os; supports (and has been tested with) up to 2 Gbytes of memory on
|
|
TurboLaser.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
Only PCI expansion is supported on &os;. XMI or Futurebus+ (which
|
|
are AS8400 only) are both unsupported.
|
|
|
|
The I/O port modules are designated KFTIA or KFTHA. The I/O port modules
|
|
supply so called 'hoses' that connect to up to 4 (KFTHA) PCI buses or 1
|
|
PCI bus (KFTIA). KFTIA has embedded dual 10baseT Ethernet, single FDDI,
|
|
3 SCSI Fast Wide Differential SCSI buses and a single Fast Wide Single Ended
|
|
SCSI bus. The FWSE SCSI is intended for the systems CDROM.
|
|
|
|
KFTHA can drive via each of its 4 hoses a DWLPA or DWLPB box. The DWLPx
|
|
house a 12 slots 32 bit PCI backplane. Physically the 12 slots are 3 4-slot
|
|
buses but to the software it appears as a single 12 slots PCI bus. A fully
|
|
expanded AS8x00 can have 3 (I/O ports) times 4 (hoses) times 12 (PCI
|
|
slots/DWLPx) = 144 PCI slots. The maximum bandwidth per KFTHA is 500
|
|
Mbytes/second. DWLPA can also house 8 EISA cards, 2 slots are PCI-only, 2
|
|
slots are EISA only. Of the 12 slots 2 are always occupied by an I/O and
|
|
connector module.
|
|
|
|
For best performance distribute high bandwidth (FibreChannel, Gigabit Ethernet)
|
|
over multiple hoses and/or multiple KFTHA/KFTIA.
|
|
|
|
Currently PCI expansion cards containing PCI bridges are not usable. Don't
|
|
use them at this time.
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
The single ended SCSI bus on the KFTIA will turn up as the fourth (!)
|
|
SCSI bus. The 3 differential SCSI buses of the KFTIA precede it.
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
AS8x00 are generally run with serial consoles. Some newer machines might
|
|
have a graphical console of some sorts but &os; has only been tested on
|
|
a serial console.
|
|
|
|
For serial console usage either change /etc/ttys to have:
|
|
|
|
console "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown on secure
|
|
|
|
as the console entry, or add
|
|
|
|
zs0 "/usr/libexec/getty std.9600" unknown on secure
|
|
|
|
and make the zs node:
|
|
|
|
mknod /dev/zs0 c 135 0
|
|
|
|
For the AlphaServer 8x00 machines the kernel config file must
|
|
contain:
|
|
options DEC_KN8AE # Alpha 8200/8400 (Turbolaser)
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Alpha Processor Inc. UP1000</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The UP1000 is an ATX mainboard based on the 21264a CPU which itself lives in
|
|
a Slot B module. It is normally housed in a ATX [mini]tower enclosure.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264a Alpha CPU at 600 or 700 MHz in a Slot B module (includes cooling fans)
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bits to the L2 cache, 64 bits from Slot B to the AMD-751
|
|
- on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 2Mb (600Mhz) or 4Mb (700Mhz) cache
|
|
- AMD AMD-751 ('Irongate') system controller chip
|
|
- Acer Labs M1543C PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip
|
|
- PS/2 mouse & keyboard port
|
|
- memory: 168-pin PC100 unbuffered SDRAM DIMMS
|
|
3 DIMM slots
|
|
DIMM sizes supported are 64, 128 or 256 Mb in size
|
|
- 2x 16550A serial port
|
|
- 1x ECP/EPP parallel port
|
|
- floppy interface
|
|
- 2x embedded Ultra DMA33 IDE interface
|
|
- 2x USB port
|
|
- expansion: 4 32 bit PCI slots
|
|
2 ISA slots
|
|
1 AGP slot
|
|
|
|
Slot B:
|
|
Slot B is a box-like enclosure that houses a daughter-board for the CPU and
|
|
cache. It has 2 small fans for cooling. Loud ones too..
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
The machine needs ECC capable DIMMs, so 72 bit ones. This does not appear to
|
|
be documented in the UP1000 docs. The system accesses the serial EEPROM on
|
|
the DIMMs via the SM bus. Note that if only a single DIMM is used it must be
|
|
installed in slot *2*. This is a bit counter-intuitive.
|
|
|
|
Power
|
|
The UP1000 needs a 400Watt ATX power supply according to the manufacturer.
|
|
This might be a bit overly conservative/pessimistic judging from the power
|
|
consumption of the board & cpu. But as always you will have to take your
|
|
expansion cards and peripherals into account. The M1543C chip contains power
|
|
management functionality & temperature monitoring (via I2C / SM bus).
|
|
|
|
Console
|
|
Chances are that your UP1000 comes by default with AlphaBios only. The SRM
|
|
console firmware is available from the Alpha Processor Inc. website. It is
|
|
currently available in a beta version which was successfully used during the
|
|
port of &os; to the UP1000.
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
UP1000 SRM can boot off an Adaptec 294x adapter. Under high I/O load conditions
|
|
machine lockups have been observed using the Adaptec 294x. A Symbios 875
|
|
based card works just fine, using either the ncr or sym driver. The sym driver
|
|
is the newest and most actively maintained one. Most likely other cards
|
|
based on the Symbios chips that the sym driver supports will work as well.
|
|
|
|
USB:
|
|
Is disabled by the SRM console and has not (yet) been tested with &os;.
|
|
|
|
For the UP1000 the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
options API_UP1000 # UP1000, UP1100 (Nautilus)
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Alpha Processor Inc. UP1100</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The UP1100 is an ATX mainboard based on the 21264a CPU running at 600 MHz.
|
|
It is normally housed in a ATX [mini]tower enclosure.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264a Alpha EV6 CPU at 600 or 700 MHz
|
|
- memory bus: 100MHz 64-bit (PC-100 SDRAM)
|
|
800 MB/s memory bandwidth
|
|
- on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 2Mb
|
|
- AMD AMD-751 ('Irongate') system controller chip
|
|
- Acer Labs M1535D PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip
|
|
- PS/2 mouse & keyboard port
|
|
- memory: 168-pin PC100 unbuffered SDRAM DIMMS
|
|
3 DIMM slots
|
|
DIMM sizes supported are 64, 128 or 256 Mb in size
|
|
- 2x 16550A serial port
|
|
- 1x ECP/EPP parallel port
|
|
- floppy interface
|
|
- 2x embedded Ultra DMA66 IDE interface
|
|
- 2x USB port
|
|
- expansion: 3 32 bit PCI slots
|
|
1 AGP2x slot
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
SRM console code comes standard with the UP1100. The SRM lives in 2Mbytes of
|
|
flash ROM.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
The machine needs ECC capable DIMMs, so 72 bit ones. This does not appear to
|
|
be documented in the UP1100 docs. The system accesses the serial EEPROM on
|
|
the DIMMs via the SM bus. Note that if only a single DIMM is used it must be
|
|
installed in slot *2*. This is a bit counter-intuitive.
|
|
|
|
Power
|
|
The UP1100 needs a 400Watt ATX power supply according to the manufacturer.
|
|
This might be a bit overly conservative/pessimistic judging from the power
|
|
consumption of the board & cpu. But as always you will have to take your
|
|
expansion cards and peripherals into account. The M1535D chip contains power
|
|
management functionality & temperature monitoring (via I2C / SM bus using
|
|
a LM75 thermal sensor).
|
|
|
|
Network:
|
|
The UP1100 has an on-board 21143 10/100Mbit Ethernet interface.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
|
|
The UP1100 is equipped with a SoundBlaster compatible audio interface.
|
|
Whether this works with &os; is as of yet unknown.
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.
|
|
|
|
USB:
|
|
The UP1100 has 3 USB ports, 2 going external and one connected to the
|
|
AGP port.
|
|
|
|
For the UP1100 the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
options API_UP1000 # UP1000, UP1100 (Nautilus)
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<sect3>
|
|
<title>Alpha Processor Inc. CS20</title>
|
|
|
|
<programlisting>
|
|
The CS20 is a 19", 1U high rackmount server based on the 21264[ab] CPU. It can
|
|
have a maximum of 2 CPUs.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264a Alpha CPU at 667 MHz or 21264b 833 MHz (max. 2 CPUs)
|
|
- memory bus: 100MHz 256-bit wide
|
|
- 21271 Core Logic chipset ("Tsunami")
|
|
- Acer Labs M1533 PCI-ISA bridge controller / super-IO chip
|
|
- PS/2 mouse & keyboard port
|
|
- memory: 168-pin PC100 PLL buffered/registered SDRAM DIMMS
|
|
8 DIMM slots
|
|
uses ECC memory
|
|
min 256 Mbytes / max 2 Gbytes of memory
|
|
- 2x 16550A serial port
|
|
- 1x ECP/EPP parallel port
|
|
- ALI M1543C Ultra DMA66 IDE interface
|
|
- embedded dual Intel 82559 10/100Mbit Ethernet
|
|
- embedded Symbios 53C1000 Ultra160 SCSI controller
|
|
- expansion: 2 64 bit PCI slots (2/3 length)
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
SRM console code comes standard with the CS20. The SRM lives in 2Mbytes of
|
|
flash ROM.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
The CS20 needs ECC capable DIMMs. Note that it uses *buffered* DIMMs.
|
|
|
|
Monitoring:
|
|
The CS20 has an I2C based internal monitoring system for things like
|
|
temperature, fans, voltages etc. The I2C also supports 'wake on LAN'.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
Each PCI slot is connected to it's own independent PCI bus on the Tsunami.
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
The embedded Ultra DMA EIDE ports are bootable by the SRM console.
|
|
|
|
Disks:
|
|
The CS20 has an embedded slim-line IDE CD drive. There is a front-accessible
|
|
bay for a 1" high 3.5" SCSI hard-disk drive with SCA connector.
|
|
|
|
Note that there is no floppy disk drive (or a connector to add one).
|
|
|
|
The kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_ST6600
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
|
|
kernel config file. The 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
|
|
</programlisting>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2>
|
|
<title>Supported Hardware Overview</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>A word of caution: the installed base for &os; is not
|
|
nearly as large as for &os;/Intel. This means that the enormous
|
|
variation of PCI/ISA expansion cards out there has much less
|
|
chance of having been tested on alpha than on Intel. This is not
|
|
to imply they are doomed to fail, just that the chance of running
|
|
into something never tested before is much greater.
|
|
<filename>GENERIC</filename>
|
|
contains things that are known to work on Alpha only.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The PCI and ISA expansion busses are fully supported. Turbo
|
|
Channel is not in <filename>GENERIC</filename> and has limited
|
|
support (see the relevant machine model info). The MCA bus is not
|
|
supported. The EISA bus is not supported for use with EISA
|
|
expansion cards as the EISA support code is lacking. ISA cards in
|
|
EISA slots are reported to work. The Compaq Qvision EISA VGA card
|
|
is driven in ISA mode and works OK as a console.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>1.44 Mbyte and 1.2 Mbyte floppy drives are supported.
|
|
2.88 Mbyte drives sometimes found in Alpha machines are supported up to
|
|
1.44Mbyte.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>ATA and ATAPI (IDE) devices are supported via the &man.ata.4;
|
|
driver framework. As most people run their Alphas with SCSI disks
|
|
it is not as well tested as SCSI. Be aware of boot-ability
|
|
restrictions for IDE disks. See the machine specific information.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>There is full SCSI support via the CAM layer for Adaptec
|
|
2940x (AIC7xxx chip-based), Qlogic family and Symbios. Be aware of
|
|
the machine-specific boot-ability issues for the various adapter
|
|
types.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The Qlogic QL2x00 FibreChannel host adapters are fully
|
|
supported.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>If you want to boot your Alpha over the Ethernet you will
|
|
obviously need an Ethernet card that the SRM console
|
|
recognizes. This generally means you need a board with an 21x4x
|
|
Ethernet chip as that is what Digital used. These chips are driven
|
|
by the &os; &man.de.4; (older driver) or &man.dc.4; (newer
|
|
driver). Some new SRM versions are known to recognize the Intel
|
|
8255x Ethernet chips as driven by the &os; &man.fxp.4; driver. But
|
|
beware: the &man.fxp.4; driver is reported not to work correctly
|
|
with &os; (although it works excellently on &os;/x86).</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>DEC DEFPA PCI FDDI network adapters are supported on alpha.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>In general the SRM console emulates a VGA-compatibility mode
|
|
on PCI VGA cards. This is, however, not guaranteed to work by
|
|
Compaq/DEC for each and every card type out there. When the SRM
|
|
thinks the VGA is acceptable &os; will be able to use it. The
|
|
console driver works just like on a &os;/intel machine. The TGA
|
|
video graphics which is embedded on for example Multia does
|
|
<emphasis>not</emphasis>
|
|
work with &os;. TGA based PCI cards are also <emphasis>not</emphasis>
|
|
supported. Please note that VESA modes are not supported on Alpha,
|
|
so that leaves you with 80x25 consoles.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>The <quote>PC standard</quote> serial ports found on most
|
|
Alphas are supported. For TurboChannel machines the serial ports
|
|
are also supported.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>ISDN (i4b) is not supported on &os;/alpha.</para>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2>
|
|
<title>Acknowledgments</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>In compiling this file I used multiple information sources,
|
|
but <ulink url="http://www.netbsd.org/">the NetBSD Web
|
|
site</ulink> proved to be an invaluable source of information. If
|
|
it wasn't for NetBSD/alpha there probably would not be a
|
|
&os;/alpha in the first place.</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>People who kindly helped me create this section:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Nick Maniscalco <email>nmanisca@vt.edu</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Andrew Gallatin <email>gallatin@cs.duke.edu</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Christian Weisgerber <email>naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>David O'Brien <email>obrien@NUXI.com</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Wim Lemmers, ex-Compaq</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Matthew Jacob <email>mjacob@feral.com</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Eric Schnoebelen <email>eric@cirr.com</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Chuck Robey <email>chuckr@picnic.mat.net</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>&a.msmith;</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Peter Jeremy <email>peter.jeremy@alcatel.com.au</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Dolf de Waal <email>l.j.de.waal@kader.hobby.nl</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Wouter Brackman, Compaq</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Kazutaka YOKOTA <email>yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Peter van Dijk <email>petervd@vuurwerk.nl</email></para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>Lodewijk van den Berg, Compaq</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
</sect1>
|