1893 lines
77 KiB
Plaintext
1893 lines
77 KiB
Plaintext
FreeBSD/alpha Hardware Information
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==================================
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This file is maintained by Wilko Bulte <wilko@freebsd.org>
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Additions, corrections and constructive criticism are invited. In
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particular information on system quirks is more than welcome.
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Overview
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--------
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This document tries to provide a starting point for those who want to start
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running FreeBSD on an Alpha-based machine. It is aimed at providing
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background information on the various hardware designs. It is not a
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replacement for the systems manuals.
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The information is structured as follows:
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- general hardware requirements to run FreeBSD on Alpha.
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- system specific information for each of the systems/boards supported
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by FreeBSD/alpha.
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- information on expansion boards for FreeBSD/alpha, including things
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that differ from what is in the generic supported hardware list.
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Note: 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 Digital
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Equipment it would be more correct to refer to Compaq-only.
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In general, what do you need to run FreeBSD/alpha?
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--------------------------------------------------
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Obviously you will need an Alpha machine that FreeBSD/alpha knows about.
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Alpha machines are NOT like PCs. There are considerable differences
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between the various chip sets and mainboard designs. This means that a kernel
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needs to know the intimate details of a particular machine before it can run
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on it. Throwing some odd GENERIC kernel at unknown hardware is almost
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guaranteed to fail miserably.
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For a machine even to be considered for FreeBSD use please make sure it has
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the SRM console firmware installed. Or at least make sure that SRM console
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firmware is available for this particular machine type. If FreeBSD does not
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currently support your machine type, there is a good chance that this will
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change at some point in time, assuming SRM is available.
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Machines with the ARC or AlphaBIOS console firmware were intended for
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WindowsNT. Some of them have SRM firmware available in the system ROMs
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which you only have to select (via an ARC or AlphaBIOS menu). In other cases
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you will have to re-flash the ROMs with SRM code. Check on
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http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware to see what is available
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for your particular system. In any case: no SRM -> no FreeBSD (or NetBSD,
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OpenBSD, Tru64 Unix or OpenVMS for that matter). With the demise of
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WindowsNT/alpha a lot of former NT boxes are sold on the second hand
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market. They have little or no trade-in value when they are NT-only from the
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console perspective. So, be suspicious if the price appears too good.
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Known non-SRM machines are:
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Digital XL series
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Digital XLT series
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Samsung PC164UX
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Samsung 164B
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To complicate things a bit further: Digital used to have so called
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'white-box' Alpha machines destined as NT-only and 'blue-box' Alpha machines
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destined for OpenVMS and Digital Unix. These names are based on the color
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of the cabinets, 'FrostWhite' and 'TopGunBlue' respectively.
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Although you could put the SRM console on the whitebox, OpenVMS and Digital
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Unix will refuse to boot on them. FreeBSD in post-4.0R will run on both the
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white and the blue-box variants. Before someone asks: the white ones had a
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rather different (read: cheaper) price tag.
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As part of the SRM you will get the so called OSF/1 PAL code (OSF/1 being the
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initial name of Digital's Unix offering on Alpha). The PAL code can be thought
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of as a software abstraction layer between the hardware and the operating
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system. It uses normal CPU instruction plus a handful of privileged
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instructions specific for PAL use. PAL is not microcode by the way.
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The ARC firmware contains a different PAL code, geared towards WinNT and in
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no way suitable for use by FreeBSD (or more generic: Unix or OpenVMS).
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Before someone asks: Linux/alpha brings its own PAL code, allowing it to
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boot on ARC & AlphaBIOS. There are various reasons why this is not a
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very good idea in the eyes of the *BSD folks. I don't want to go into
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details here.
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There is another pitfall ahead: you will need a disk adapter that the SRM
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console recognizes in order to be able to boot from your disk. What is
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acceptable to SRM as a boot adapter is unfortunately system and SRM version
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dependent. For older PCI based machines this means you will need either
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a NCR/Symbios 53C810 based adapter, or a Qlogic 1020/1040 based adapter.
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Some machines come with a SCSI chip embedded on the mainboard. Newer machine
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designs and SRM versions will be able to work with later SCSI chips/adapters.
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Check out the machine specific info below. Please note that the rest
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of this discussion only refers to Symbios chips, this is meant to include
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the older chips that still have NCR stamped on them. Symbios bought the NCR
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designs.
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The problem might bite those who have machines that started their lives as
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WinNT boxes. The ARC or AlphaBIOS knows about *other* adapter types that it
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can boot from than the SRM. For example you can boot from an Adaptec 2940UW
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with ARC but (generally) not with SRM. Some newer machine types have introduced
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Adaptec boot support. Please consult the machine specific section for details.
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Some adapters that cannot be booted from work fine for data-only disks.
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The differences between SRM and ARC could also get you pre-packaged
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IDE CDROMs and hard drives in some (former NT) systems.
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SRM versions exist (depends on the machine type) that can boot
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from IDE disks and CDROMs. Check the machine specific section for details.
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FreeBSD/alpha 4.0 and later can be booted from the distribution CDROM.
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Earlier versions needed booting from a 2-floppy set.
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If you don't have/want a local disk drive you can boot via the Ethernet.
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This assumes a Ethernet adapter/chip that is recognized by the SRM.
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Generally speaking this boils down to either a 21040 or 21142 or 21143
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based Ethernet interface. Older machines / SRM versions may not recognize
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the 21142 / 21143 Fast Ethernet chips, you are limited to using 10Mbit
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Ethernet for net 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 over the
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21x4x chips when it bought Digital Semiconductor. So you might see an Intel
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logo on them these days. Recent machine designs have SRM support for
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Intel 8255x Ethernet chips.
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Alpha machines can be run with SRM on a graphics console or on
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a serial console. ARC can be run on a serial consoles if need be. VT100
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emulation with 8 bit controls should at least allow you to switch from
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ARC to SRM mode without having to install a graphics card first.
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If you want to run your Alpha without a monitor/graphics card
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just don't connect a keyboard/mouse to the machine. Instead hook
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up a serial terminal[emulator] to serial port #1. The SRM will
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talk 9600N81 to you. This can be really practical for debugging purposes.
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Beware: some/most (?) SRMs will also present you with a console prompt at
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serial port #2. The booting kernel, however, will display the boot messages
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on serial port #1 and will also put the console there. This can be extremely
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confusing.
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Most PCI based Alphas can use ordinary PC-type VGA cards. The SRM contains
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enough smarts to make that work. It does not, however, mean that each and
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every PCI VGA card out on the street will work in an Alpha machine. Things
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like S3 Trio64, Mach64, and Matrox Millennium generally work. Old ET4000
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based ISA cards have also worked for me. But ask around first before buying.
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Please note that TGA cards are not supported as FreeBSD console display cards.
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Most PCI devices from the PC-world will also work in FreeBSD/alpha PCI-based
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machines. Check the /sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC file for the latest word on
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this. Be careful to check the appropriate machine type's discussion
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in case you want to use PCI cards that have PCI bridge chips on them.
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In some cases you might encounter problems with PCI cards not handling
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PCI parity correctly. This can lead to panics. PCI parity checking can be
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disabled using the following SRM command: SET PCI_PARITY OFF. This is not
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a FreeBSD problem, all operating systems running on Alpha hardware will
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need this workaround.
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If your system (also) contains EISA expansion slots you will need to run
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the EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) after you have installed EISA cards
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or have upgraded your console firmware.
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Parallel ports that can be found on most Alpha machines are supported.
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For Alpha CPUs you will find multiple generations. The original Alpha
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design is the 21064. It was produced in a chip process called MOS4,
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chips made in this process are nicknamed EV4. Newer CPUs are 21164, 21264
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etc. You will see designations like EV4S, EV45, EV5, EV56, EV6, EV67.
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The EVs with double digit numbers are slightly improved versions. For example
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EV45 has an 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 digit
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immediately following 'EV' the more desirable (read: faster / more modern).
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For memory you want at least 32 Mbytes. I have had FreeBSD/alpha run on a
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16 Mbyte system but you will not like that. Kernel build times halved when
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going to 32 Mbytes. Note that the SRM steals 2Mbyte from the total system
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memory (and keeps it). For more serious use >= 64Mbyte is recommended.
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While on the subject of memory: pay close attention to the type of memory
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your machine uses. There are very different memory configurations and
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requirements for the various machines.
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Final word: I expect the above to sound a bit daunting to the first-time
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Alpha user. Don't be daunted too much. And do feel free to ask questions.
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System specific information
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---------------------------
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Below is an overview of the hardware that FreeBSD/alpha runs on.
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This list will definitely grow, a look in /sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC
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can be enlightening. Alpha machines are often best known by their project
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code name. When known these are listed below in ().
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*
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* AXPpci33 ("NoName")
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*
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The NoName is a baby-AT mainboard based on the 21066 LCA (Low Cost Alpha)
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processor. It was originally designed for OEM-use. The LCA chip includes
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almost all of the logic to drive a PCI bus and the memory subsystem.
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All of this makes for a low-priced design.
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Due to the limited memory interface the system is not particularly
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fast in case of cache misses. As long as you stay inside the on-chip cache
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the CPU is comparable to a 21064 (first generation Alpha). These boards
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should be very cheap to obtain these days (even here in the Netherlands
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they were sold new for US$ 25).
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Features:
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- 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 seen/used one)
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- memory bus: 64 bits
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- on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 0, 256k or 1 Mbyte (uses DIL chips)
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- PS/2 mouse & keyboard port OR 5pin DIN keyboard (2 mainboard models)
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- memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
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70ns or better,
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installed in pairs of 2,
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4 SIMM sockets
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uses ECC
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- 512kB Flash ROM for the console code.
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- 2x 16550A serial ports, 1x parallel port, floppy interface
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- 1x embedded IDE interface
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- expansion: 3 32 bit PCI slots (1 shared with ISA)
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5 ISA slots (1 shared with PCI)
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- embedded Fast SCSI using a Symbios 53C810 chip
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SRM:
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NoNames can either have SRM *or* ARC console firmware in their Flash ROM.
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The Flash ROM is not big enough to hold both ARC and SRM at the same time
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and allow software selection of alternate console code. But you need
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SRM-only anyway.
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Cache:
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Cache for the NoNames are 15 or 20 ns DIL chips. For a 256 kByte cache you
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want to check your junked 486 mainboard. Chips for a 1 Mbyte cache are a rarer
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breed unfortunately. Getting at least a 256kByte cache is recommended
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performance wise. Cache-less they are really slow.
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Power:
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The NoName mainboard has a PC/AT-standard power connector. It also has
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a power connector for 3.3 Volts. No need to rush out to get
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a new power supply. The 3.3 Volts is only needed in case you run 3.3 Volts
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PCI expansion boards.
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IDE:
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The IDE interface is supported by FreeBSD and requires a line in the
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kernel configuration file as follows:
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device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14
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The SRM console unfortunately cannot boot from IDE disks.
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Memory:
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Make sure you use true 36 bit SIMMs, and only FPM (Fast Page Mode). EDO RAM
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or SIMMs with fake parity *will not work* (the board uses the 4 extra bits
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for ECC!). 33 bit FPM SIMMs will for the same reason not work either.
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Keyboard/mouse:
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Given the choice, get the PS/2-variant mainboard. Apart from giving you a
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mouse port as bonus it is directly supported by Tru64 Unix in case you ever
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want/need to run it. The "DIN-plug"-variant should work OK for FreeBSD.
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The OEM manual is recommended reading.
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See ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/axppci/design_guide.ps
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The kernel configuration file for a NoName kernel must contain:
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options DEC_AXPPCI_33
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cpu EV4
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*
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* Universal Desktop Box (UDB or "Multia")
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*
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Note: Multia can be either Intel or Alpha CPU based. We assume Alpha based
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ones here for obvious reasons.
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Multia is a small desktop box intended as a sort of personal workstation.
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They come in a considerable number of variations, check closely what you
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get.
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Features:
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- 21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz
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- memory bus: 64 bits
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- on-board Bcache / L2 cache: COAST-like 256 kByte cache module
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233MHz models have 512kByte of cache
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166MHz models have soldered-on 256kB caches
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- PS/2 mouse & keyboard port
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- memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
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70ns or better,
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installed in pairs of 2,
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4 SIMM sockets
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uses ECC
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- 2x 16550A serial ports, 1x parallel port, floppy interface
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- Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge
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- 1x embedded 21040 based 10Mbit Ethernet, AUI or 10base2 connector
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- expansion: 1 32 bit PCI slot, 2 PCMCIA slots
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- on-board Crystal CS4231 or AD1848 sound chip
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- embedded Fast SCSI using a Symbios 53C810 chip on the PCI riser card
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SRM/ARC:
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Multia has enough Flash ROM to store both SRM and ARC code at the same time
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and allow software selection of one of them.
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Expansion:
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Multia has only one 32 bit PCI slot for expansion, and it is only
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suitable for a small form factor PCI card too. In sacrificing the PCI slot
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space you can mount a 3.5" hard disk drive. Mounting stuff may have come
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with your Multia. Adding a 3.5" disk is not a recommended upgrade due to
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the limited power rating of the power supply and the extremely marginal
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cooling of the system box. Don't!
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Multia also has 2 PCMCIA expansion slots. These are currently unsupported.
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CPU:
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The CPU might or might not be socketed, check before considering CPU upgrade
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hacks. The low-end Multias have a soldered-in CPU.
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Graphics:
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It comes with a TGA based graphics on-board. Which is not suitable for
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console use with FreeBSD. Which means you will have to run it using a
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serial console. Note that the boot of the installation disk will appear
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to work fine using the TGA console, but then switches to using the
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serial port. This is even mentioned during by installer (but never read
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by the human doing the install..). Your keyboard appears dead from that point
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on.
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Serial:
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Multia has 2 serial ports but routes both of them to the outside world
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on a single 25 pin sub-D connector. The Multia FAQ explains how to
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build your own Y-cable to allow both ports to be used.
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Floppy:
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Although the Multia SRM supports booting from floppy this is problematic.
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Typical errors look like "*** Soft Error - Error #10 - FDC: Data overrun or
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underrun". This is not a FreeBSD problem, it is a SRM problem. The best
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available workaround to install FreeBSD is to boot from a SCSI CDROM.
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Sound:
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Works fine using pcm driver and a line in the kernel configuration file as
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follows for the Crystal CS4231 chip:
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device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530 irq 9 drq 3 flags 0x15
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I have not yet been successful in getting my Multia with the AD1848 to
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play any sound.
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While verifying playback I was reminded of the lack of CPU power of the 166MHz
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CPU: MP3 only plays acceptable using 22kHz down-sampling.
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Hot:
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Multias are somewhat notorious for dying of heat strokes. The very compact
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box does not really allow cooling air access very well. Please use the
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Multia on its vertical stand, don't put it horizontally ('pizza style').
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Replacing the fan with something which pushes around more air is
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recommended. Beware of PCI cards with high power consumption.
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If your system has died you might want to check on the Multia-Heat-Death
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pages at the NetBSD web-site http://www.netbsd.org
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IDE:
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The Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge enables the use of an IDE disk. This
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requires a line in the kernel configuration file as follows:
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device ata0 at isa? port IO_WD1 irq 14
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The IDE connector pin spacing is thought for 2.5" laptop disks. A 3.5"
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IDE disk would not fit in the case anyway. At least not without sacrificing
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your only PCI slot.
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The SRM console does not know how to boot from IDE disks unfortunately.
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SCSI:
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In case you want to change the internal hard drive: the internal flat cable
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running from the PCI riser board to the 2.5" (!!) hard drive has a finer pitch
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than the standard SCSI flat cables. Otherwise it would not fit on the 2.5"
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drives. There are also riser cards that have a standard-pitch SCSI cable
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attached to it, which will fit an ordinary SCSI disk.
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Again, I recommend against trying to cram a replacement hard disk inside. Use
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the external SCSI connector and put your disk in an external enclosure.
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Multias run hot enough as-is. In most cases you will have the external high
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density 50pin SCSI connector but some Multia models came without disk and
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may lack the connector. Something to check before buying one.
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The kernel configuration file for a Multia kernel must contain:
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options DEC_AXPPCI_33
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cpu EV4
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More info:
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Recommended reading on Multia can be found at
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http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/multiafaq.html
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http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/computers/udb.html
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*
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* Personal Workstation ("Miata")
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*
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The Miata is a small tower machine intended to be put under a desk. There
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are multiple Miata variants. The original Miata is the MX5 model. Because
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it suffers from a number of hardware design flaws a redesign was performed,
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yielding the MiataGL. Unfortunately the boxes are quite indistinguishable.
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An easy check is to see if the back of the machine sports two
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USB connectors. If yes, it is a MiataGL.
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System designations look like "Personal Workstation 433a". Personal
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Workstation, being a bit of a mouthful, is often abbreviated to PWS.
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This means it has a 433 MHz CPU, and started life as a WinNT workstation
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(the trailing 'a'). Systems designated from day 1 to run Tru64
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Unix or OpenVMS will sport '433au'. WinNT-Miatas are likely
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to come pre-configured with an IDE CDROM drive. So, in general systems
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are named like PWS[433,500,600]a[u].
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There was also a Miata model with a special CPU cooling system by Kryotech.
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That one has a different enclosure.
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Features:
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- 21164A EV56 Alpha CPU, at 433, 500 or 600MHz
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- 21174 Core Logic ("Pyxis") chip set
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- on-board Bcache / L3 cache: 0, 2 or 4 Mbytes (uses a cache module)
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- memory bus: 128 bits wide, ECC protected
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- memory: Miata uses unbuffered SDRAMs,
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installed in pairs of 2,
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6 DIMM sockets
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1.5 Gbytes max
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- on-board Fast Ethernet based on:
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- MX5 uses a 21142 or 21143 Ethernet chip dependent on the version of the
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PCI riser card
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- MiataGL has a 21143 chip
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- the bulkhead can be 10/100 UTP, or 10 UTP/BNC
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- 2x on-board [E]IDE based on:
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- MX5: CMD646
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- MiataGL: Cypress 82C693
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- 1x Ultra-Wide SCSI Qlogic 1040 [MiataGL only]
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- expansion: 2 64-bit PCI slots
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3 32-bit PCI slots (behind a DEC PCI-PCI bridge chip)
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3 ISA slots (physically shared with the 32 bit PCI slots, via
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an Intel 82378IB PCI to ISA bridge chip)
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- 2x 16550A serial port
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- 1x parallel port
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- PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
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- USB interface [MiataGL only]
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- embedded sound based on an ESS1888 chip
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CPU mainboard and PCI 'riser' board:
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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 etc) is identical for MX5 and MiataGL.
|
|
|
|
DMA bug:
|
|
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
|
|
'known good' to the SRM are allowed to be used in the 64bit slots.
|
|
|
|
If you want to fool the SRM you can type "set pci_device_override" at
|
|
the SRM prompt. Just don't complain if your data mysteriously gets mangled.
|
|
|
|
The complete command is:
|
|
|
|
set pci_device_override <vendor_id><device_id>
|
|
e.g. set pci_device_override 88c15333
|
|
|
|
A more radical approach is to use:
|
|
|
|
set pci_device_override -1
|
|
|
|
This disables PCI ID checking altogether, so that you can stick in any
|
|
random PCI card without its ID getting checked. For this to work you need
|
|
a sufficiently new SRM in your Miata. Again: do this on your own
|
|
risk.
|
|
|
|
The kernel reports it when it sees a buggy Pyxis chip:
|
|
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...
|
|
|
|
A MiataGL probes as:
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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 FreeBSD kernel by the way.
|
|
|
|
EIDE:
|
|
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 FreeBSD from an IDE disk. Speeds
|
|
on MX5 are around 14 Mbytes/sec assuming a suitable drive. The CMD646 chip will
|
|
support up to WDMA2 mode as the silicon is too buggy for use with UDMA.
|
|
|
|
PCI-PCI bridge:
|
|
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 *same*
|
|
chip as the MiataGL. All in all there is a lot of variation.
|
|
|
|
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 'before' the bridge,
|
|
in one of the 64 bit PCI slots.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
|
|
Both MX5 and MiataGL have an on-board sound chip, an ESS1888. It emulates
|
|
a SoundBlaster and can be enabled by putting
|
|
|
|
device pcm0
|
|
device sbc0
|
|
|
|
in your kernel configuration file.
|
|
|
|
Cache:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Installing a 2Mb cache module achieves, apart from a 10-15% speed increase
|
|
(based on buildworld elapsed time), a *decrease* 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.
|
|
|
|
Keyboard:
|
|
If you experience SRM errors like "ERROR: scancode 0xa3 not supported
|
|
on PCXAL" after halting FreeBSD 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 http://www.compaq.com The problem is fixed on both
|
|
Miata MX5 and Miata GL.
|
|
|
|
USB:
|
|
Supported by FreeBSD 4.1 and later.
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
The kernel configuration file for a Miata kernel must contain:
|
|
options DEC_ST550
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* DEC3000 family (the "Bird" machines)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
The DEC3000 series were among the first Alpha machines ever produced. They
|
|
are based on an I/O bus called the Turbo Channel (TC) bus. These
|
|
machines are built like tanks (watch your back).
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
They are called 'Birds' because their internal DEC code names were bird
|
|
names:
|
|
|
|
DEC3000/400 Sandpiper 133MHz CPU, desktop
|
|
DEC3000/500 Flamingo 150MHz CPU, floor standing
|
|
DEC3000/500X Hot Pink 200MHz CPU, floor standing
|
|
DEC3000/600 Sandpiper+ 175MHz CPU, desktop
|
|
DEC3000/700, Sandpiper45 225MHz CPU, floor standing
|
|
DEC3000/800, Flamingo Ultra 200MHz CPU, floor standing
|
|
DEC3000/900, Flamingo45 275MHz CPU, floor standing
|
|
|
|
DEC3000/300 Pelican 150MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
|
|
DEC3000/300X Pelican+ 175MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
|
|
DEC3000/300LX Pelican+ 125MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
|
|
DEC3000/300L 100MHz CPU, desktop, no TC slots
|
|
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21064 CPU (100 to 200 MHz)
|
|
21064A CPU (225 to 275 MHz)
|
|
- memory bus: 256 bit, with ECC [DEC3000/500-class]
|
|
64 bit, with ECC [DEC3000/300-class]
|
|
- memory: - proprietary 100pin SIMMs
|
|
installed in sets of 8 [DEC3000/500-class]
|
|
- PS/2 style 72pin 36 bit FPM SIMMs, 70ns or better
|
|
used in pairs of 2 [DEC3000/300-class]
|
|
- Bcache / L2 cache: varying sizes, 512 kB to 2 Mbyte
|
|
- built-in 10Mbit Ethernet based on a Lance 7990 chip, AUI and UTP
|
|
- one or two SCSI buses based on a NCR53C94 or a NCR53CF94-2 chip
|
|
- 2 serial ports based on Zilog 8530 (one usable as a serial console)
|
|
- embedded ISDN interface
|
|
- on-board 8 bit sound
|
|
- 8 bit graphics on-board [some models] or via a TC card [some other models]
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
Currently DEC3000 machines can only be used diskless on FreeBSD/alpha. The
|
|
reason for this is that the SCSI drivers needed for the TC SCSI adapters
|
|
were not brought into CAM that the recent FreeBSD versions use. TC option
|
|
cards for single (PMAZ-A) or dual fast SCSI (PMAZC-AA) are also available.
|
|
And currently have no drivers on FreeBSD either.
|
|
|
|
DEC3000/300 has 5Mbytes/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.
|
|
|
|
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 (>>> BOOT DKA300 for example).
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
ISDN interface:
|
|
ISDN does not work on FreeBSD.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
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 'seen' as a 8 Mbyte SIMM. 8 Mbyte and 32 Mbyte SIMMs can
|
|
be mixed, as long as the pairs themselves are identical.
|
|
|
|
When you find yourself in need of fixing 32Mbyte SIMMs that lack correct
|
|
presence bits the following info might be of use:
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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).
|
|
|
|
If you bridge a pair of pads with a small resistor or a drop of
|
|
solder you ground that particular bit.
|
|
|
|
PRD1 PRD2 mem. size
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
GND GND 4 or 64 Mbyte
|
|
Open GND 2 or 32 Mbyte
|
|
GND Open 1 or 16 Mbyte
|
|
Open Open 8 Mbyte
|
|
|
|
PRD3 PRD4 access time
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
GND GND 50 or 100 nsec
|
|
Open GND 80 nsec
|
|
GND Open 70 nsec
|
|
Open Open 60 nsec
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
|
|
The sound hardware is not supported on any of the Birds.
|
|
|
|
Graphics:
|
|
The 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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
For the DEC3000/[4-9]00 series machines the kernel config file must
|
|
contain:
|
|
options DEC_3000_500
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
|
|
For the DEC3000/300 ("Pelican") machines the kernel config file must
|
|
contain:
|
|
options DEC_3000_300
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
*Evaluation Board 64plus ("EB64+"), Aspen Alpine
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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:
|
|
|
|
- 21064 or 21064A CPU, 150 to 275MHz
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit
|
|
- memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 33 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
|
|
70ns or better,
|
|
installed in sets of 4
|
|
8 SIMM sockets
|
|
uses parity
|
|
- Bcache / L2 cache: 512 kByte, 1 Mbyte or 2 Mbytes
|
|
- 21072 ("APECS") chip set
|
|
- Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip ('Saturn')
|
|
- dual 16550A serial ports
|
|
- Symbios 53C810 Fast-SCSI
|
|
- embedded 10 Mbit Ethernet
|
|
- 2 PCI slots
|
|
- 3 ISA slots
|
|
|
|
Aspen Alpine:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
36 bits SIMMs work fine, 3 bits simply remain unused.
|
|
|
|
SRM:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
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
|
|
FreeBSD/alpha 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 FreeBSD 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.
|
|
|
|
For the EB64+ class machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_EB64PLUS
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* Evaluation Board 164 ("EB164, PC164, PC164LX, PC164SX") family
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21164A, multiple speed variants [EB164, PC164, PC164LX]
|
|
21164PC [only on PC164SX]
|
|
- 21174 (Alcor) chip set
|
|
- Bcache / L3 cache: EB164 uses special cache-SIMMs
|
|
- memory bus: 128 bit / 256 bit
|
|
- memory: PS/2 style SIMMs in sets of 4 or 8,
|
|
36 bit, Fast Page Mode, uses ECC, [EB164 and PC164]
|
|
SDRAM DIMMs in sets of 2, uses ECC [PC164SX and PC164LX]
|
|
- dual 16550A serial ports
|
|
- PS/2 style keyboard & mouse
|
|
- floppy controller
|
|
- parallel port
|
|
- 32 bits PCI
|
|
- 64 bits PCI [some models]
|
|
- ISA slots via an Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
LX and SX with SRM firmware version 5.8 or later can boot from Adaptec
|
|
2940-series adapters.
|
|
|
|
In summary: this family of machines is 'blessed' with a challenging
|
|
compatibility as far as SCSI adapters go.
|
|
|
|
SRM quirks:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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 to 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.
|
|
|
|
IDE:
|
|
PC164 can boot from IDE disks assuming your SRM version is recent enough.
|
|
|
|
Power:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
For the EB164 class machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_EB164
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaStation 200 ("Mustang") and 400 ("Avanti") series
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
The Digital AlphaStation 200 and 400 series systems are early PCI based
|
|
workstations for the lower end. The 200 and 250 series is a desktop box, the
|
|
400 series is a desk-side mini-tower.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21064 or 21064A CPU at speeds of 166 to 333 MHz
|
|
- DECchip 21071-AA (core logic chip-set) consisting of:
|
|
Cache/memory controller (one 21071-CA chip)
|
|
PCI interface (one 21071-DA chip)
|
|
Data path (two 21071-BA chips)
|
|
- Bcache / L2 cache: 512 Kbytes (200 and 400 series)
|
|
2048KBytes (250 series)
|
|
- memory bus: 64 bit
|
|
- memory: 8 to 384 MBytes of RAM,
|
|
70 ns or better Fast Page DRAM,
|
|
in three pairs (200 and 400 series)
|
|
in two quads, so banks of four. (250 series)
|
|
uses parity
|
|
- PS/2 keyboard and mouse port
|
|
- two 16550 serial ports
|
|
- parallel port
|
|
- floppy disk interface
|
|
- 32 bit PCI expansion slots (3 for 400 series, 2 for 200 & 250 series)
|
|
- ISA expansion slots (4 for 400 series, 2 for 200 & 250 series)
|
|
(some ISA/PCI slots are physically shared)
|
|
- embedded 21040-based Ethernet (200 & 250 series)
|
|
- embedded Symbios 53c810 Fast SCSI-2 chip
|
|
- Intel 82378IB ("Saturn") PCI-ISA bridge chip
|
|
- graphics is embedded TGA or PCI VGA (model dependent)
|
|
- 16 bit sound (on 200 & 250 series)
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
the system uses parity memory SIMMs, but it does 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.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
|
|
The AS200 & AS250 sound hardware is reported to work OK assuming you have
|
|
the following line in your kernel config file:
|
|
|
|
device pcm0 at isa? port 0x530 irq 9 drq 0 flags 0x10011
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
AlphaStation 200 & 250 series has 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.
|
|
|
|
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: "set control_scsi_term external". If only internal SCSI devices
|
|
are present use: "set control_scsi_term internal"
|
|
|
|
For the AlphaStation-[24][05]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_2100_A50
|
|
cpu EV4
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaStation 500 and 600 ("Alcor" & "Maverick" for EV5, "Bret" for EV56)
|
|
*
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21164 EV5 CPU at 266, 300, 333, 366, 400, 433, 466, or 500 MHz (AS500)
|
|
at 266, 300 or 333 MHz (AS600)
|
|
- 21171 or 21172 (Alcor) core logic chip-set
|
|
- 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)
|
|
- memory bus: 256 bits, uses ECC
|
|
- memory: AS500: industry standard 8 byte wide DIMMs
|
|
8 DIMM slots
|
|
installed in sets of 4,
|
|
maximum memory is 1 Gb (512 Mb max on 333 MHz CPUs)
|
|
uses ECC
|
|
AS600: industry standard 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs
|
|
32 SIMM slots,
|
|
installed in sets of 8,
|
|
maximum memory is 1 Gb
|
|
uses ECC
|
|
- Qlogic 1020 based wide SCSI bus (1 bus/chip for AS500, 2 for AS600)
|
|
- 21040 based 10 Mbit Ethernet adapter with both Thinwire and UTP connectors
|
|
- 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
|
|
- 21050 PCI-to-PCI bridge chip
|
|
- Intel 82375EB PCI-EISA bridge (AS600 only)
|
|
- 2 16550A serial ports
|
|
- 1 parallel port
|
|
- 16 bit audio Windows Sound System,
|
|
in dedicated slot (AS500)
|
|
in EISA slot (AS600, this is an ISA card)
|
|
- PS/2 keyboard and mouse port
|
|
|
|
SCSI:
|
|
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 Ultra?
|
|
|
|
AS600 has one Qlogic chip dedicated to the internal devices whereas the
|
|
other one is dedicated to external SCSI devices.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
In AS500 DIMMs are installed in sets of 4, in 'physically interleaved'
|
|
layout. So, a bank of 4 DIMMs is *not* 4 adjacent DIMMs!
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
identical.
|
|
|
|
PCI:
|
|
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 SCSI adapters to work, add the following
|
|
option to /boot/loader.rc:
|
|
|
|
set isp_mem_map=0xff
|
|
|
|
This may need to be typed at the boot loader prompt before booting the
|
|
installation kernel.
|
|
|
|
For the AlphaStation-[56]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
options DEC_KN20AA
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaServer 1000 ("Mikasa"), 1000A ("Noritake") and 800
|
|
*
|
|
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 ECC EDO 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. Note that these are EDO DIMMs, not SDRAM.
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* DS10/VS10/XP900 ("Webbrick") / XP1000 ("Monet") / DS10L ("Slate")
|
|
*
|
|
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"
|
|
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.
|
|
FreeBSD/alpha 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 FreeBSD 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.
|
|
|
|
** Monet
|
|
|
|
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 FreeBSD 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 FreeBSD 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 FreeBSD. 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.
|
|
|
|
** DS20/DS20E ("Goldrush"):
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264 EV6 CPU at 500 or 670 MHz
|
|
- dual CPU capable machine
|
|
- L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU
|
|
- memory bus: dual 256 bit wide with crossbar switch
|
|
- memory: SDRAM DIMMs
|
|
installed in sets of 4
|
|
uses ECC
|
|
16 DIMM slots
|
|
max. 4Gb
|
|
- 21271 Core Logic chip-set ("Tsunami")
|
|
- embedded Adaptec ? Wide Ultra SCSI
|
|
- expansion: 2 independent PCI buses, driven by high-speed I/O
|
|
channels called 'hoses'
|
|
6 64-bit PCI slots (3 per hose)
|
|
1 ISA slot
|
|
|
|
Console:
|
|
DS20 needs >>> SET CONSOLE SERIAL before it goes for a serial console.
|
|
Pulling the keyboard from the machine is not sufficient. Going back to a
|
|
graphical console needs >>> SET CONSOLE GRAPHICS 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 FreeBSD boots it honors
|
|
the CONSOLE variable setting and all the boot messages as well as the
|
|
login prompt will go to the serial port.
|
|
|
|
Case:
|
|
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. DS20E is a sleeker case, without the StorageWorks shelf.
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
The embedded Adaptec SCSI chip on DS20 is disabled and is therefore
|
|
not usable under FreeBSD.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
If you are using banks of DIMMs of different sizes the biggest DIMMs should
|
|
be installed in the DIMM slots marked '0' on the mainboard. The DIMM slots
|
|
should be filled 'in order' so after bank 0 install in bank 1 and so on.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
Don't try to use Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the PCI slots
|
|
connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found FreeBSD 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 FreeBSD on it.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
** AlphaPC 264DP / UP2000
|
|
|
|
Features:
|
|
- 21264 EV6 CPU at 670 MHz
|
|
- dual CPU capable
|
|
- L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU
|
|
- memory bus: 256 bit
|
|
- memory: SDRAM DIMMs
|
|
installed in sets of 4
|
|
uses ECC
|
|
16 DIMM slots
|
|
max. 4Gb
|
|
- 21272 Core Logic chip-set ("Tsunami")
|
|
- embedded Adaptec AIC7890/91 Wide Ultra SCSI
|
|
- 2x embedded IDE based on Cypress 82C693 chips
|
|
- embedded USB via Cypress 82C693
|
|
- expansion: 2 independent PCI buses driven by high-speed I/O
|
|
channels called 'hoses'
|
|
6 64-bit PCI slots (3 per hose)
|
|
1 ISA slot
|
|
|
|
Memory:
|
|
A maximum of 2Gb memory is supported by FreeBSD.
|
|
|
|
Embedded SCSI:
|
|
The on-board Adaptec is not bootable but works with FreeBSD 4.0 and later
|
|
as a datadisk-only SCSI bus.
|
|
|
|
Embedded IDE:
|
|
Busmaster DMA is supported on the first IDE interface only.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaServer 2000 ("DemiSable"), 2100 ("Sable"), 2100A ("Lynx")
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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 FreeBSD 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
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaServer 4100 ("Rawhide")
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaServer 1200 ("Tincup") and AlphaStation 1200 ("DaVinci")
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 ("TurboLaser")
|
|
*
|
|
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:
|
|
FreeBSD supports (and has been tested with) up to 2 Gbytes of memory on
|
|
TurboLaser.
|
|
|
|
Expansion:
|
|
Only PCI expansion is supported on FreeBSD. 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 FreeBSD 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
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* Alpha Processor Inc. UP1000
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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 FreeBSD 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 FreeBSD.
|
|
|
|
For the UP1000 the kernel config file must contain:
|
|
cpu EV5
|
|
options API_UP1000 # UP1000, UP1100 (Nautilus)
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* Alpha Processor Inc. UP1100
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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 FreeBSD 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)
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
* Alpha Processor Inc. CS20
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Supported hardware overview
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
Word of caution: the installed base for FreeBSD/alpha is not nearly as large
|
|
as for FreeBSD/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.
|
|
GENERIC contains things that are known to work on Alpha only.
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|
|
|
- Expansion buses: PCI and ISA are fully supported. Turbo Channel is not
|
|
in GENERIC 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.
|
|
|
|
- Floppy drives: 1.44 Mbyte and 1.2 Mbyte floppy drives are supported.
|
|
2.88Mbyte drives sometimes found in Alpha machines are supported up to
|
|
1.44Mbyte.
|
|
|
|
- ATA / ATAPI (IDE): are supported via the ata 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.
|
|
|
|
- SCSI: full 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.
|
|
|
|
- FibreChannel: the Qlogic QL2x00 FibreChannel host adapters are fully
|
|
supported.
|
|
|
|
- Ethernet: 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 FreeBSD 'de' (older driver)
|
|
or 'dc' (newer driver). Some new SRM versions are known to recognize the
|
|
Intel 8255x Ethernet chips as driven by the FreeBSD 'fxp' driver. But beware:
|
|
the 'fxp' driver is reported not to work correctly with FreeBSD/alpha (although
|
|
it works excellently on FreeBSD/x86).
|
|
|
|
- FDDI: DEC DEFPA PCI FDDI network adapters are supported on alpha.
|
|
|
|
- graphics console/keyboard/mouse: 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 FreeBSD will be able to use it. The console driver
|
|
works just like on a FreeBSD/intel machine. The TGA video graphics which
|
|
is embedded on for example Multia does *not* work with FreeBSD. TGA based
|
|
PCI cards are also *not* supported. Please note that VESA modes are not
|
|
supported on Alpha, so that leaves you with 80x25 consoles
|
|
|
|
- serial ports: the 'PC standard' serial ports found on most Alphas are
|
|
supported. For TurboChannel machines the serial ports are also supported.
|
|
|
|
- ISDN (i4b): is not supported on FreeBSD/alpha
|
|
|
|
Acknowledgments
|
|
----------------
|
|
|
|
In compiling this file I used multiple information sources, but
|
|
http://www.netbsd.org proved to be an invaluable source of information.
|
|
If it wasn't for NetBSD/alpha there probably would not be a FreeBSD/alpha
|
|
in the first place.
|
|
|
|
People who kindly helped me create this document:
|
|
|
|
- Nick Maniscalco <nmanisca@vt.edu>
|
|
- Andrew Gallatin <gallatin@cs.duke.edu>
|
|
- Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de>
|
|
- David O'Brien <obrien@NUXI.com>
|
|
- Wim Lemmers, ex-Compaq
|
|
- Matthew Jacob <mjacob@feral.com>
|
|
- Eric Schnoebelen <eric@cirr.com>
|
|
- Chuck Robey <chuckr@picnic.mat.net>
|
|
- Mike Smith <msmith@FreeBSD.ORG>
|
|
- Peter Jeremy <peter.jeremy@alcatel.com.au>
|
|
- Dolf de Waal <l.j.de.waal@kader.hobby.nl>
|
|
- Wouter Brackman, Compaq
|
|
- Kazutaka YOKOTA <yokota@zodiac.mech.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
|
|
- Peter van Dijk <petervd@vuurwerk.nl>
|
|
- Lodewijk van den Berg, Compaq
|