1 FreeBSD/alpha Hardware Information
2 ==================================
4 This file is maintained by Wilko Bulte <wilko@freebsd.org>
6 Additions, corrections and constructive criticism are invited. In
7 particular information on system quirks is more than welcome.
13 This document tries to provide a starting point for those who want to start
14 running FreeBSD on an Alpha-based machine. It is aimed at providing
15 background information on the various hardware designs. It is not a
16 replacement for the system's manuals.
18 The information is structured as follows:
20 - general hardware requirements to run FreeBSD on Alpha.
21 - system specific information for each of the systems/boards supported
23 - information on expansion boards for FreeBSD/alpha, including things
24 that differ from what is in the generic supported hardware list.
27 In general, what do you need to run FreeBSD/alpha?
28 --------------------------------------------------
30 Obviously you will need an Alpha machine that FreeBSD/alpha knows about.
31 Alpha machines are NOT PC-architectures. There are considerable differences
32 between the various chip sets and mainboard designs. This means that a kernel
33 needs to know the intimate details of a particular machine before it can run
34 on it. Throwing some odd GENERIC kernel at unknown hardware is almost
35 guaranteed to fail miserably.
37 For a machine even to be considered for FreeBSD use please make sure it has
38 the SRM console firmware installed. Or at least make sure that SRM console
39 firmware is available for this particular model. If FreeBSD does not
40 currently support your machine type, there is a good chance that this will
41 change some time, assuming there is a SRM available.
43 Machines with the ARC/AlphaBIOS console firmware are intended for
44 WindowsNT. Some of them have SRM firmware available in the system ROMs
45 which you only have to select (via an ARC/AlphaBIOS menu). In other cases
46 you will have to re-flash the ROMs with SRM code. Check on
47 http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware to see what is available
48 for your particular system. In any case: no SRM -> no FreeBSD (or NetBSD,
49 OpenBSD, Tru64 Unix or OpenVMS for that matter).
51 As part of the SRM you will get the so called OSF/1 PAL code (OSF/1 being the
52 initial name of DEC's Unix offering on Alpha). The PAL code can be thought
53 of as a software abstraction layer between the hardware and the operating
54 system. It uses normal CPU instruction plus a handful of privileged
55 instructions specific for PAL use. PAL is not microcode by the way.
56 The ARC firmware contains a different PAL code, geared towards WinNT and in
57 no way suitable for use by FreeBSD (or more generic: Unix or OpenVMS).
58 Before someone asks: AlphaLinux brings its own PAL code, allowing it to
59 boot. There are various reasons why this is not a very good idea in the
60 eyes of the *BSD folks. I don't want to go into details here.
62 There is another pitfall ahead: you will need a disk adapter that the SRM
63 console recognizes in order to be able to boot from your disk. What is
64 acceptable to SRM as a boot adapter is unfortunately system / SRM version
65 dependent. For older PCI based machines this means you will need either
66 a NCR/Symbios 53C810 based adapter, or a Qlogic 1020/1040 based adapter.
67 Some machines come with a SCSI chip embedded on the
68 mainboard. Newer machine designs and SRM versions will be able to work with
69 later SCSI chips/adapters. Check out the machine specific info below.
71 The problem might bite those who have machines that started their lives as
72 WinNT boxes. The ARC/AlphaBIOS knows about *other* adapter types that it
73 can boot from than the SRM. For example you can boot from an Adaptec 2940UW
74 with ARC but not with SRM.
76 Some adapters that cannot be booted from work fine for data-only disks
77 (e.g. Adaptec 2940x boards). The differences between SRM and ARC could also
78 get you pre-packaged IDE CDROMs and hard drives in some (former NT) systems.
79 SRM versions versions exist (depends on the mainboard) that can also boot
82 FreeBSD/alpha 4.0 and later can be booted from the distribution CDROM.
83 Earlier versions needed booting from a 2 floppy set.
85 If you don't have/want a local disk drive you can boot via the Ethernet.
86 This assumes a Ethernet adapter/chip that is recognized by the SRM.
87 Generally speaking this boils down to either a 21040 or 21142 or 21143
88 based Ethernet interface. Older machines / SRM versions may not recognize
89 the 21142 / 21143 Fast Ethernet chips, you are limited to using 10Mbit
90 Ethernet for net booting those machines. Non-DEC cards based on said chips will
91 generally (but are not guaranteed to) work. Note that Intel took over the
92 21x4x chips when it bought Digital Semiconductor. So you might see an Intel
93 logo on them these days.
95 Alpha machines can be run with SRM on a graphics console or on
96 a serial console. ARC does can be run on a serial consoles if need be. VT100
97 with 8 bit controls should at least allow you to switch from ARC to SRM
100 If you want to run your Alpha without a monitor/graphics card
101 just don't connect a keyboard/mouse to the machine. Instead hook
102 up a serial terminal[emulator] to serial port #1. The SRM will
103 talk 9600N81 to you. This can be really practical for debugging purposes.
105 Most PCI based Alphas can use ordinary PC-type VGA cards. The SRM contains
106 enough smarts to make that work. It does not, however, mean that each and
107 every PCI VGA card out on the street will work in an Alpha machine. Things
108 like S3 Trio64 generally work. But ask around first before buying.
110 Most PCI devices from the PC-world will also work in FreeBSD/alpha PCI-based
111 machines. Check the /sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC file for the latest word on
114 Currently all parallel ports do not work on FreeBSD/alpha. The driver needs
115 work to make this happen.
117 For Alpha CPUs you will find multiple versions. The original Alpha
118 design is the 21064. It was produced in a chip baking process called MOS4,
119 chips made in this process are nicknamed EV4. Newer CPUs are 21164, 21264
120 etc. You will see designations like EV4S, EV45, EV5, EV56, EV6, EV67.
121 The EVs with double digit numbers are slightly improved versions. For example
122 EV45 has an improved FPU and 16 kByte onchip seperate I & D caches compared
123 to the EV4 on which it is based. Rule of thumb: the higher the digit
124 immediately following 'EV' the more desirable (read: faster / more modern).
126 For memory you want at least 32 Mbytes. I have had FreeBSD/alpha run on a
127 16 Mbyte system but you will not like that. Kernel build times halved when
128 going to 32 Mbytes. Note that the SRM steals 2Mbyte from the total system
129 memory (and keeps it). For more serious use >= 64Mbyte is recommended.
131 While on the subject of memory: pay close attention to the type of memory
132 your machine uses. There are very different memory configurations and
133 requirements for the various machines.
135 Final word: I expect the above to sound a bit daunting to the first-time
136 Alpha user. Don't be daunted too much. And do feel free to ask questions.
139 System specific information
140 ---------------------------
142 Below is an overview of the hardware that FreeBSD/alpha runs on.
143 This list is bound to grow, a look in /sys/alpha/conf/GENERIC
144 can be enlightening. Alpha machines are often best known by their project
145 code name, when known these are listed below in ().
148 * AXPpci33 ("NoName")
150 The NoName is a baby-AT mainboard based on the 21066 LCA (Low Cost Alpha)
151 processor. It was originally designed for OEM-use. The LCA chip includes
152 almost all of the logic to drive a PCI bus and the memory subsystem.
153 All of this makes for a low-priced design.
155 Due to the limited memory interface the system is not particularly
156 fast in case of cache misses. As long as you stay inside the on-chip cache
157 the CPU is comparable to a 21064 (first generation Alpha). These boards
158 should be very cheap to obtain these days (even here in the Netherlands
159 they were sold new for US$ 25).
162 - 21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz
163 (21068 CPUs are also possible, but are even slower. Never seen/used one)
164 - memory bus: 64 bits
165 - on-board Bcache / L2 cache: 0, 256k or 1Mbyte (uses DIL chips)
166 - PS/2 mouse & keyboard port OR 5pin DIN keyboard (2 mainboard models)
167 - memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
169 installed in pairs of 2,
172 - 512kB Flash ROM for the console code.
173 - 2x 16550A serial ports, 1x parallel port, floppy interface
174 - 1x embedded IDE interface
175 - expansion: 3 32 bit PCI slots (1 shared with ISA)
176 5 ISA slots (1 shared with PCI)
177 - embedded Fast SCSI using a NCR/Symbios 53C810 chip
180 NoName's can either have SRM *or* ARC console firmware in their Flash ROM.
181 The Flash ROM is not big enough to hold both ARC and SRM at the same time
182 and allow software selection of alternate console code. But you need
186 Cache for the NoNames are 15 or 20ns DIL chips. For a 256kByte cache you
187 want to check your junked 486 mainboard. Chips for a 1Mbyte cache are a rarer
188 breed unfortunately. Getting at least a 256kByte cache is recommended
189 performance wise. Cache-less they are really slow.
192 The NoName mainboard has a PC/AT-standard power connector. It also has
193 a power connector for 3.3 Volts. No need to rush out to get
194 a new power supply. The 3.3 Volts is only needed in case you run 3.3 Volts
195 PCI expansion boards.
198 SRM presumably cannot boot from IDE disks (have never tried this myself)
201 Make sure you use true 36 bit SIMMs, and only FPM (Fast Page Mode). EDO RAM
202 or SIMMs with fake parity *will not work* (the board uses the 4 extra bits
203 for ECC!). 33 bit FPM SIMMs will for the same reason not work either.
206 Given the choice, get the PS/2-variant mainboard. Apart from giving you a
207 mouse port as bonus it is directly supported by Tru64 Unix in case you ever
208 want/need to run it. The "DIN-plug"-variant should work OK for FreeBSD.
210 The OEM manual is recommended reading. If you did not get one with your
211 system/board send me email, I have a Postscript copy.
213 The kernel configuration file for a NoName kernel must contain:
214 options DEC_AXPPCI_33
219 * Universal Desktop Box (UDB or "Multia")
222 Note: Multia can be either Intel or Alpha CPU based. We assume Alpha based
223 ones here for obvious reasons.
225 Multia is a small desktop box intended as a sort of personal workstation.
226 They come in a considerable number of variations, check closely what you
230 - 21066 Alpha CPU at 166 MHz or 21066A CPU at 233MHz
231 - memory bus: 64 bits
232 - on-board Bcache / L2 cache: COAST-like 256kByte cache module
233 - PS/2 mouse & keyboard port
234 - memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
236 installed in pairs of 2,
239 - 2x 16550A serial ports, 1x parallel port, floppy interface
240 - 1x embedded 21040 based 10Mbit Ethernet, AUI or 10base2 connector
241 - expansion: 1 32 bit PCI slot
242 - embedded Fast SCSI using a NCR/Symbios 53C810 chip on the PCI riser card
245 Multia has enough Flash ROM to store both SRM and ARC code at the same time
246 and allow software selection of one of them.
249 Multia has only one 32 bit PCI slot for expansion, and it is only
250 suitable for a small form factor PCI card too. In sacrificing the PCI slot
251 space you can mount a 3.5" hard disk drive. Mounting stuff may have come
252 with your Multia. There are also models that do have the riser card, but
253 lack the actual PCI connector.
256 The CPU might or might not be socketed, check before considering CPU upgrade
257 hacks. The low end Multia has a soldered-in CPU.
260 It comes with a TGA based graphics on-board. Which is not suitable for
261 console use according to reports I have received.
264 Multias are somewhat notorious for dying of heat strokes. The very compact
265 box does not really allow cooling air access very well. Please use the
266 Multia on its vertical stand, don't put it horizontally ('pizza style').
267 Replacing the fan with something which pushes around more air is
268 wholeheartedly recommended. Beware of PCI cards with high power consumption.
271 In case you want to change the internal hard drive: the internal flat cable
272 running from the PCI riser board to the 2.5" (!!) hard drive has a finer pitch
273 than the standard SCSI flat cables. Otherwise it would not fit on the 2.5"
274 drives. There are also riser cards that have a standard-pitch SCSI cable
275 attached to it, which will fit an ordinary SCSI disk.
277 I recommend against trying to cram a replacement hard disk inside. Use the
278 external SCSI connector and put your disk in an external enclosure. Multias run
279 hot enough as-is. In most cases you will have the external high density
280 50pin SCSI connector but some Multia models came without disk and may lack
281 the connector. Something to check before buying one.
283 The kernel configuration file for a Multia kernel must contain:
284 options DEC_AXPPCI_33
289 * Personal Workstation ("Miata")
292 The Miata is a small tower machine intended to be put under a desk. There
293 are multiple Miata variants. The original Miata is the MX5 model. Because
294 it suffers from a number of hardware design flaws a redesign was performed,
295 yielding the MiataGL. Unfortunately the boxes are quite indistinguishable.
296 An easy check is to see if the back of the machine sports two
297 USB connectors. If yes, it is a MiataGL.
299 System designations look like "Personal Workstation 433a". This means
300 it has a 433 MHz CPU, and started life as a WinNT workstation
301 (the trailing 'a'). Systems designated from day 1 to run Tru64
302 Unix or OpenVMS will sport '433au'. WinNT-Miata's are likely
303 to come pre-configured with an IDE CDROM drive. There was also a Miata model
304 with a special cooling system by Kryotech. This one has a different
309 - 21164A EV56 Alpha CPU, at 433, 500 or 600MHz
310 - 21174 Core Logic ("Pyxis") chip set
311 - on-board Bcache / L3 cache: 0, 2, 4Mbyte (uses a cache module)
312 - memory bus: 128 bits wide, ECC protected
313 - memory: Miata uses unbuffered SDRAMs,
314 installed in pairs of 2,
316 - on-board Fast Ethernet based on:
317 - MX5 uses a 21142 or 21143 Ethernet chip dependent on the version of the
319 - MiataGL has a 21143 chip)
320 the bulkhead can be 10/100 UTP, or 10 UTP/BNC.
321 - 2x on-board [E]IDE based on:
323 - MiataGL: Cypress 82C693
324 - 1x Ultra-Wide SCSI Qlogic 1040 [MiataGL only]
325 - expansion: 2 64-bit PCI slots
326 3 32-bit PCI slots (behind a DEC PCI-PCI bridge chip)
327 3 ISA slots (physically shared with the 32 bit PCI slots, via
328 a Intel 82378IB PCI to ISA bridge chip)
329 - 2x 16550A serial port
331 - PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
332 - USB interface [MiataGL only]
333 - embedded sound based on a ESS1888 chip
335 CPU mainboard and PCI 'riser' board:
336 the Miata is divided into two printed circuit boards.
337 The lower board in the bottom of the machine has the PCI
338 and ISA slots and things like the sound chip etc. The top board
339 has the CPU, the Pyxis chip, memory etc. Note that MX5 and the MiataGL use
340 a different PCI riser board. This means that you cannot just upgrade to
341 a MiataGL CPU board (with the newer Pyxis chip) but that you will also need
342 a different riser board. Apparently an MX5 riser with a MiataGL CPU board
343 will work but it is definitely not a supported or tested configuration.
344 Everything else (cabinet, wiring etc etc) is identical for MX5 and MiataGL.
347 MX5 has problems with DMA via the 2 64-bit PCI slots when this DMA
348 crosses a page boundary. The 32bit slots don't have this problem because the
349 PCI-PCI bridge chip does not allow the offending transfers. The SRM code
350 knows about the problem and refuses to start the system if there is a PCI
351 card in one of the 64bit slots that it does not know about. Cards that are
352 'known good' to the SRM are allowed to be used in the 64bit slots.
354 If you want to fool the SRM you can type "set pci_device_override" at
355 the SRM prompt. Just don't complain if your data mysteriously gets mangled.
356 The complete command is:
358 set pci_device_override <vendor_id><device_id>
359 e.g. set pci_device_override 88c15333
361 The kernel reports it when it sees a buggy Pyxis chip:
362 Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
363 Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
364 Sep 16 18:39:43 miata /kernel: cia0: WARNING: Pyxis pass 1 DMA bug; no
368 Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: Pyxis, pass 1
369 Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: cia0: extended capabilities: 1<BWEN>
370 Jan 3 12:22:32 miata /kernel: pcib0: <2117x PCI host bus adapter> on cia0
372 MiataGL does not have the DMA problems of the MX5. PCI cards that make
373 the MX5 SRM choke when installed in the 64bit slots are accepted without
374 problems by the MiataGL SRM.
376 The latest mainboard revisions of MX5 contain a hardware workaround for the
377 bug. The SRM does not know about the ECO and will complain about unknown cards
378 just like before. The same applies to the FreeBSD kernel by the way.
381 The Miata SRM can boot from IDE CDROM drives. Harddisk boot is known to work for
382 both MiataGL and MX5 disks, so you can root FreeBSD from an IDE disk. Speeds
383 on MX5 are around 14 Mb/sec assuming a suitable drive.
386 The MiataGL has a faster PCI-PCI bridge chip on the PCI riser card than
387 some of the MX5 riser card versions. Some of the MX5 risers have the *same*
388 chip as the MiataGL. All in all there is a lot of variation.
391 both MX5 and MiataGL have an onboard sound chip, an ESS1888.
392 I have yet to see/hear it work on my MiataGL. But it is being worked on.
395 in case your Miata has the optional cache board installed make sure
396 it is firmly seated. A slightly loose cache has been observed to cause
397 weird crashes (not surprising obviously, but maybe not so obvious when
398 troubleshooting). The cache module is identical between MX5 and MiataGL.
400 Installing a cache module achieves, apart from a 10-15% speed increase (based
401 on buildworld elapsed time), a *decrease* for PCI DMA read bandwidth from
402 64bit PCI cards. A benchmark on a 64-bit Myrinet card resulted in a decrease
403 from 149 Mb/sec to 115 Mb/sec. Something to keep in mind when doing really
404 high speed things with 64 bit PCI adapters.
407 Does not currently seem to work on FreeBSD/alpha judging from the kernel
411 disconnect the powercord before dismantling the machine, the soft-power
412 switch keeps part of the logic powered even when the machine is switched
415 The kernel configuration file for a Miata kernel must contain:
420 * DEC3000 family (the "Bird" machines)
423 The DEC3000 series were among the first Alpha machines ever produced. They
424 are based on an I/O bus called the Turbo Channel (TC) bus. These
425 machines are built like tanks (watch your back).
427 DEC3000 can be subdivided in DEC3000/500-class and DEC3000/300-class.
428 The DEC3000/500-class is the early high-end workstation/server Alpha family.
429 Servers use serial consoles, workstations have graphics tubes.
430 DEC3000/300-class is the lower-cost workstation class.
432 DEC3000/500-class are quite fast (considering their age) thanks to the
433 good memory design. DEC3000/300 is crippled compared to DEC3000/500 because
434 of its much narrower memory bus.
436 They are called 'Birds' because their internal DEC codenames were bird
439 DEC3000/400 'Sandpiper' 133MHz CPU, desktop
440 DEC3000/500 'Flamingo' 150MHz CPU, floor standing
441 DEC3000/500X 'Hot Pink' 200MHz CPU, floor standing
442 DEC3000/600 175MHz CPU, desktop
443 DEC3000/700, 225MHz CPU, floor standing
444 DEC3000/800, 200MHz CPU, floor standing
445 DEC3000/900, 275MHz CPU, floor standing
447 DEC3000/300 'Pelican' 150MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
448 DEC3000/300X 175MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
449 DEC3000/300LX 125MHz CPU, desktop, 2 TC slots
450 DEC3000/300L 100MHz CPU, desktop, no TC slots
454 - 21064 CPU (100 to 200 MHz)
455 21064A CPU (225 to 275 MHz)
456 - memory bus: 256 bit, with ECC [DEC3000/500-class]
457 64 bit, with ECC [DEC3000/300-class]
458 - memory: - proprietary 100pin SIMMs
459 installed in sets of 8 [DEC3000/500-class]
460 - PS/2 style 72pin 36 bit FPM SIMMs, 70ns or better
461 used in pairs of 2 [DEC3000/300-class]
462 - Bcache / L2 cache: varying sizes, 512 kB to 2 Mbyte
463 - built-in 10Mbit Ethernet based on a Lance 7990 chip, AUI and UTP
464 - one or two SCSI buses based on a NCR53C94 or a NCR53CF94-2 chip
465 - 2 serial ports based on Zilog 8530 (one usable as a serial console)
466 - embedded ISDN interface
467 - on-board 8 bit sound
468 - 8 bit graphics on-board [some models] or via a TC card [some other models]
471 Currently DEC3000 machines can only be used diskless on FreeBSD/alpha. The
472 reason for this is that the SCSI drivers needed for the TC SCSI adapters
473 were not brought into CAM that the current FreeBSD versions use. TC option
474 cards for single (PMAZ-A) or dual fast SCSI (PMAZC-AA) are also available.
475 And currently have no drivers n FreeBSD either.
477 DEC3000/300 has 5Mbytes/sec SCSI on-board. This bus is used for both internal
478 and external devices. DEC3000/500 has 2 SCSI buses. One is for internal
479 devices only, the other one is for external devices only.
482 The 3000/300 series has a half-speed TurboChannel compared to the other
483 3000 machines. Some TC expansion cards have troubles with the half-speed
487 does not work on FreeBSD (to be honest I don't think there is any
488 operating system, including Tru64 Unix, that can use it).
491 DEC3000/300-class uses standard 36 bit, 72 pin Fast Page Mode SIMMs.
492 EDO SIMMs, 32 or 33 bit SIMMs all will not work in Pelicans.
493 For 32Mbyte SIMMs to work on the DEC3000/300-class the presence detect
494 bits/pins of the SIMM must correspond to what the machine expects. If they
495 don't, the SIMM is 'seen' as a 8 Mbyte SIMM. 8 Mbyte and 32 Mbyte SIMMs can
496 be mixed, as long as the pairs themselves are identical.
498 When you find yourself in need of fixing 32Mbyte SIMMs that lack correct
499 presence bits the following info might be of use:
501 There are four presence detection bits on PS/2 simms. Two of
502 the bits indicate the access time. The other two indicate the memory size.
504 At one end of the simm there are two rows of four solder pads. One
505 row is connected to Vss (GND) and the other is connected to pins
506 67 (PRD1), 68 (PRD2), 69 (PRD3), 70 (PRD4).
508 If you bridge a pair of pads with a small resistor or a drop of
509 solder you ground that particular bit.
512 ---------------------------------------------
513 GND GND 4 or 64 Mbyte
514 Open GND 2 or 32 Mbyte
515 GND Open 1 or 16 Mbyte
518 PRD3 PRD4 access time
519 -------------------------------------------------
520 GND GND 50 or 100 nsec
525 DEC3000/500-class can use 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32Mbyte 100pin SIMMs.
526 Note that the maximum memory size varies from system to system,
527 desktop machines have sacrificed box size for less memory SIMM sockets.
528 Given enough sockets and enough SIMMs you can get to 512Mbytes maximum.
529 This is one of the main differences between floor standing and desktop
530 machines, the latter have much less SIMM sockets.
533 is not supported on any of the Birds.
536 The is no X-Windows version available for the TC machines.
537 DEC3000/300 needs a serial console. DEC3000/500-class might
538 work with a graphical console. I ran mine with a serial console so I cannot
541 Birds can be obtained from surplus sales etc. As they are not PCI
542 based they are no longer actively maintained. TC expansion boards can
543 be difficult to obtain these days and support for them is not too good
544 unless you write/debug the code yourself. Programming information for TC
545 boards is hard to find. Birds are recommended only if a. you can get them
546 cheap and b. if you prepared to work on the code to support them better.
548 For the DEC3000/[4-9]00 series machines the kernel config file must
553 For the DEC3000/300 ("Pelican") machines the kernel config file must
559 *Evaluation Board 64plus ("EB64+"), Aspen Alpine
562 In its attempts to popularise the Alpha CPU DEC produced a number of so
563 called Evaluation Boards. The EB64+ family boards have the following feature
566 - 21064 or 21064A CPU, 150 to 275MHz
567 - memory bus: 128 bit
568 - memory: PS/2 style 72 pin 33 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs,
570 installed in sets of 4,
573 - Bcache / L2 cache: 512 kByte, 1 Mbyte or 2 Mbyte
574 - 21072 ("APECS") chip set
575 - Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip ('Saturn')
576 - dual 16550A serial ports
577 - NCR/Symbios 53C810 Fast-SCSI
578 - embedded 10Mbit Ethernet
583 Aspen Alpine is slightly different, but is close enough to the EB64+ to
584 run an EB64+ SRM EPROM (mine does..). The Aspen Alpine does not have
585 an embedded Ethernet, has 3 instead of 2 PCI slots. It comes with 2 Mbytes
586 of cache already soldered onto the mainboard. It has jumpers to select
587 the use of 60, 70 or 80ns SIMM speeds.
590 36 bits SIMMs work fine, 3 bits simply remain unused.
593 The SRM console code is housed in an UV-erasable EPROM. No easy flash SRM
594 upgrades for the EB64+ The latest SRM version available for EB64+ is quite
598 The EB64+ SRM can boot both 53C810 and Qlogic1040 SCSI adapters. Pitfall for
599 the Qlogic is that the firmware that is downloaded by the SRM onto the
600 Qlogic chip is very old. There are no updates for the EB64+ SRM available.
601 So you are stuck with old Qlogic bits too. I have had quite some problems
602 when I wanted to use Ultra-SCSI drives on the Alpine/Qlogic. The
603 FreeBSD/alpha kernel can be compiled to include a much newer Qlogic firmware
604 revision. This is not the default because it adds hundreds of kBytes worth
605 of bloat to the kernel. All of this might mean that you need to use a
606 non-Qlogic adapter to boot from.
608 For the EB64+ class machines the kernel config file must contain:
613 * Evaluation Board 164 ("EB164, PC164, PC164LX, PC164SX") family
616 EB164 is a newer design evaluation board, based on the 21164A CPU. This
617 design has been used to 'spin off' multiple variations, some of which are
618 used by OEM manufacturers/assembly shops. Samsung did its own PC164LX
619 which has only 32 bit PCI, whereas the DEC variant has 64 bit PCI.
622 - 21164A, multiple speed variants [EB164, PC164, PC164LX]
623 21164PC [only on PC164SX]
624 - 21174 (Alcor) chip set
625 - Bcache / L3 cache: EB164 uses special cache-SIMMs
626 - memory bus: 128 bit / 256 bit
627 - memory: PS/2 style SIMMs in sets of 4 or 8,
628 36 bit, Fast Page Mode, uses ECC, [EB164 and PC164]
629 SDRAM DIMMs in sets of 2, uses ECC [PC164SX and PC164LX]
630 - dual 16550A serial ports
631 - PS/2 style keyboard & mouse
635 - 64 bits PCI [some models]
636 - ISA slots via an Intel 82378ZB PCI to ISA bridge chip
639 Using 8 SIMMs for a 256bit wide memory can yield interesting speedups over
640 a 4 SIMM/128bit wide memory. Obviously all 8 SIMMs must be of the same type
641 to make this work. The system must be explicitly setup to use the
642 8 SIMM memory arrangement. You must have 8 SIMMs, 4 SIMMs distributed
643 over 2 banks does not work.
646 The SRM can boot from Qlogic 10xx boards or the NCR/Symbios 53C810.
647 53C825[a] will also work as boot adapter. Diamond FirePort, although
648 based on Symbios chips, are not bootable by the PC164SX SRM.
649 PC164SX is reported to boot fine with an NCR875 based card.
652 PC164 the SRM sometimes seems to loose its variable settings.
653 "For PC164's, current superstition says that, to avoid losing settings,
654 you want to first downgrade to SRM 4.x and then upgrade to a 5.x"
656 On PC164SX the AlphaBIOS allows you a selection to select 'SRM' to
657 be used as console on the next power up. This selection does not appear to
658 have any effect. In other words, you will get to the AlphaBIOS regardless
659 of what you select. The fix is to reflash the console ROM with the SRM
660 code for PC164SX. This will overwrite the AlphaBIOS and will get you the
661 SRM console you desire. The SRM code can be found on the Compaq Web site.
664 PC164 can boot from IDE disks assuming your SRM version is recent enough.
667 Whether FreeBSD/alpha runs on this board is unknown. Please let me know if
671 EB164 needs a power supply that supplies 3.3 Volts. PC164 does not implement
672 the PS_ON signal that ATX power supplies need to switch on. A simple switch
673 pulling this signal to ground fixes this.
675 For the EB164 class machines the kernel config file must contain:
681 * AlphaStation 200 ("Mustang") and 400 ("Avanti") series
684 The Digital AlphaStation 200 and 400 series systems are early PCI based
685 workstations for the lower end. The 200 series is a desktop box, the 400
686 series is a deskside mini-tower.
689 - 21064 or 21064A CPU
690 - DECchip 21071-AA (core logic chipset) consisting of:
691 Cache/memory controller (one 21071-CA chip)
692 PCI interface (one 21071-DA chip)
693 Data path (two 21071-BA chips)
694 - Bcache / L2 cache: 512 Kbytes
696 - memory: 8 to 384 MBytes of RAM,
697 70 ns or better Fast Page DRAM,
700 - PS/2 keyboard and mouse port
701 - two 16550 serial ports
703 - floppy disk interface
704 - 32 bit PCI expansion slots (3 for 400 series, 2 for 200 series)
705 - ISA expansion slots (4 for 400 series, 2 for 200 series)
706 (some ISA/PCI slots are physically shared)
707 - embedded 21040-based Ethernet (200 series only)
708 - embedded NCR/Symbios 53c810 Fast SCSI-2 chip
709 - Intel 82378IB ("Saturn") PCI-ISA bridge chip
710 - graphics is embedded TGA or PCI VGA (model dependent)
711 - 16 bit sound (on 200 series)
714 the system uses parity memory SIMMs, but it does not need 36 bit wide SIMMs.
715 33 bit wide SIMMs are sufficient, 36 bit SIMMs are acceptable too. EDO or 32
716 bit SIMMs will not work. 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 Mbyte SIMMs are supported.
719 the sound interface is not supported by FreeBSD.
722 AlphaStation 200 series has an automatic SCSI terminator. This means that as
723 soon as you plug a cable onto the external SCSI connector the internal
724 terminator of the system is disabled. It also means that you should not
725 leave unterminated cables plugged into the machine.
727 AlphaStation 400 series have an SRM variable that controls termination. In
728 case you have external SCSI devices connected you must set this SRM
729 variable using: "set control_scsi_term external". If only internal SCSI devices
730 are present use: "set control_scsi_term internal"
732 For the AlphaStation-[24]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:
738 * AlphaStation 500 and 600
740 AS500 and 600 were the high-end EV5 / PCI based workstations. EV6 based
741 machines have in the meantime taken their place as front runners. AS500 is
742 a desktop in a dark blue case (TopGun blue), AS600 is a sturdy deskside box.
743 AS600 has a nice LCD panel to observe the early stages of SRM startup.
746 - 21164 EV5 CPU at 333, 400 or 500 MHz (AS500)
747 at 266 or 300 MHz (AS600)
748 - 21171 or 21172 (Alcor) core logic chipset
749 - cache: 2 or 4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 266 MHz)
750 4 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600 at 300 MHz)
751 2 or 8 Mb L3 / Bcache (8 Mb on 500 MHz version only)
752 2 to 16 Mb L3 / Bcache (AS600; 3 cache-SIMM slots)
753 - memory bus: 256 bits, uses ECC
754 - memory: AS500: industry standard 8 byte wide DIMMs
756 installed in sets of 4,
757 maximum memory is 1 Gb (512Mb max on 333 MHz CPUs)
759 AS600: industry standard 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs
761 installed in sets of 8,
762 maximum memory is 1 Gb
764 - Qlogic 1020 based wide SCSI bus (1 bus/chip for AS500, 2 for AS600)
765 - 21040 based 10 Mbit Ethernet adapter with both Thinwire and UTP connectors
766 - expansion: AS500: 3 32-bit PCI slots
768 AS600: 2 32-bit PCI slot
770 1 PCI/EISA physically shared slot
772 1 PCI and 1 EISA slot are occupied by default
773 - 21050 PCI-to-PCI bridge chip
774 - Intel 82375EB PCI-EISA bridge (AS600 only)
775 - 2 16550A serial ports
777 - 16 bit audio Windows Sound System,
778 in dedicated slot (AS500)
779 in EISA slot (AS600, this is an ISA card)
780 - PS/2 keyboard and mouse port
783 Early machines had Fast SCSI interfaces, later ones are Ultra SCSI capable.
784 AS500 shares its single SCSI bus with internal and external devices. For a
785 Fast SCSI bus you are limited to 1.8 meters bus length external to the box.
786 +++ This is what some DEC docs suggest. Did they ever go Ultra?
788 AS600 has one Qlogic chip dedicated to the internal devices whereas the
789 other one is dedicated to external SCSI devices.
792 In AS500 DIMMs are installed in sets of 4, in 'physically interleaved'
793 layout. So, a bank of 4 DIMMs is *not* 4 adjacent DIMMs!
795 In AS600 the memory SIMMs are placed onto two memory daughter cards. SIMMs
796 are installed in sets of 8. Both memory daughter cards must be populated
800 AS600 has a peculiarity for its PCI slots. AS600 (or rather the PCI
801 expansion card containing the SCSI adapters) does not allow I/O port
802 mapping, therefore all devices behind it must use memory mapping.
803 If you have problems getting the SCSI adapters to work, add the following
804 option to /boot/loader.rc:
808 This may need to be typed at the boot loader prompt before booting the
811 For the AlphaStation-[56]00 machines the kernel config file must contain:
816 * AlphaServer 1000 ("Mikasa"), 1000A ("Noritake") and 800
818 The AlphaServer range of machines are aimed as departmental servers. They
819 come in quite some variations in packaging and mainboard/cpu. Generally
820 speaking there are 21064 (EV4) CPU based machines and 21164 (EV5) based
821 ones. The CPU is on a daughter card, and the type of CPU (EV4 or EV5) must
822 match the mainboard in use. AlphaServer 800 is a much smaller mini tower
823 case, it lacks the StorageWorks SCSI hot-plug chassis. The main difference
824 between AS1000 and AS1000A is that AS1000A has 7 PCI slots whereas AS1000
825 only has 3 PCI slots and has EISA slots instead.
828 - 21064 EV4 CPU at 200, 233 or 266 MHz
829 21164 EV5 CPU at 300, 333 or 400 MHz (or 500 MHz for AS800 only)
831 - memory bus: 128 bit with ECC
834 Use 72pin 36 bit Fast Page Mode SIMMs, 70ns or better
840 - embedded VGA (on some mainboard models)
842 3 PCI, 2 EISA, 1 64-bit PCI/EISA combo (AS800)
843 7 PCI, 2 EISA (AS1000A)
844 2 PCI, 1 EISA/PCI, 7 EISA (AS1000)
845 - embedded SCSI based on NCR/Symbios 810 [AS1000] or Qlogic 1020 [AS1000A]
848 AS1000 based machines come in multiple boxes. Floor standing, rackmount,
849 with or without StorageWorks SCSI chassis etc. The electronics are the
854 All EV4 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets of
855 5. The fifth SIMM is used for ECC.
856 All EV5 based machines use standard PS/2 style 36 bit 72pin SIMMs in sets of
857 4. The ECC is done based on the 4 extra bits per SIMM (4 bits out of 36).
858 The EV5 mainboards have 16 SIMM slots, the EV4 mainboards have 20 slots.
861 Uses DIMMs in sets of 4. DIMM installation must start in slots marked
862 bank 0. A bank is four physically adjacent slots. The biggest size DIMMs
863 must be installed in bank 0 in case 2 banks of different DIMM sizes are
864 used. Max memory size is 2Gb.
867 For AS800 you want to check if your Ultra-Wide SCSI is indeed in Ultra mode.
868 This can be done using the EEROMCFG.EXE utility that is on the Firmware
871 For the AlphaServer1000/1000A/800 machines the kernel config file must contain:
873 cpu EV4 # depends on model CPU installed
874 cpu EV5 # depends on model CPU installed
877 * DS10/VS10/XP900 ("Webbrick") / XP1000 ("Monet")
879 Webbrick and Monet are high performance workstations/servers based on the
880 EV6 CPU and the Tsunami chipset. Tsunami is also used in much higher-end
881 systems and as such has plenty of performance to offer. DS10, VS10 and XP900
882 are different names for essentially the same system. The difference are the
883 software and options that are supported.
885 Monet has, by 1999 standards, *stunning* (the words of a satisfied
886 user) memory and I/O system bandwidth.
891 - 21264 EV6 CPU at 466 MHz
893 - memory bus: 128 bit via crossbar
894 - memory: industry standard 200 pin 83 MHz buffered ECC SDRAM DIMMs
896 installed in pairs of 2
898 - 21271 Core Logic chipset ("Tsunami")
899 - 2 on-board 21143 Fast Ethernet controllers
900 - AcerLabs M5237 (Aladdin-V) USB controller
901 - AcerLabs M1533 PCI-ISA bridge
902 - AcerLabs Aladdin ATA-33 controller
904 - expansion: 3 64-bit PCI slots
906 - 2x 16550A serial ports
909 - PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
912 The system has a smart power controller. This means that parts of the system
913 remain powered when it is switched off (like an ATX-style PC power supply).
914 Before servicing the machine remove the power cord.
917 Webbrick is shipped in a desktop-style case similar to the older 21164
918 "Maverick" workstations but which offers much better access to
919 components. If you intend to build a farm you can rackmount them in a 19"
923 DS10 has 4 DIMM slots. DIMMs are installed as pairs. Please note that
924 DIMM pairs are not installed in adjacent DIMM sockets but rather physically
928 The base model comes with a FUJITSU 9.5GB ATA disk as its boot device.
929 FreeBSD/alpha works just fine using EIDE disks on Webbrick.
932 whether this works on FreeBSD on DS10 is as yet unknown.
934 The kernel config file must contain:
936 Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
937 kernel config file. A 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
942 - 21264 EV6 at 500 MHz
943 21264 EV67 at 500 or 667 MHz
945 - memory bus: 256 bit
946 - memory: 128 or 256Mb 100 MHz (PC100) registered ECC SDRAM DIMMs
947 - 21271 Core Logic chip-set ("Tsunami")
948 - 1 on-board 21143 Ethernet controller
949 - Cypress 82C693 USB controller
950 - Cypress 82C693 PCI-ISA bridge
951 - Cypress 82C693 controller
952 - expansion: 2 independent PCI buses (called hoses)
953 hose 0: (the upper 3 slots)
956 hose 1: (the bottom 2 slots)
957 2 32-bit PCI slots (behind a PCI-PCI bridge)
958 2 of the 64-bit PCI slots are for full-length cards
959 all of the 32-bit PCI slots are for short cards
960 1 of the 32-bit PCI slots is physically shared with an ISA slot
961 - 1x Ultra-Wide SCSI port based on a Qlogic 1040 chip
962 - 2x 16550A serial port
964 - PS/2 keyboard & mouse port
965 - embedded 16-bit ESS ES1888 sound chip
967 - graphics options: ELSA Gloria Synergy or DEC/Compaq PowerStorm 3D
971 Monet is housed in a mini-tower like enclosure quite similar to the Miata
975 For 500 MHz CPUs 83 MHz DIMMs will do. DIMMs are installed in sets of 4,
976 starting with the DIMM slots marked '0'. Memory capacity is max 4Gb.
977 DIMMs are installed 'physically interleaved', note the markings of the
981 Is usable / bootable for system disk so FreeBSD can be rooted on an EIDE
985 Don't try to use NCR/Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the PCI slots
986 connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found FreeBSD bug that prevents this
987 from working correctly.
990 The sound chip is not currently supported with FreeBSD. There is work in
991 progress in this area.
993 The kernel config file must contain:
995 Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
996 kernel config file. A 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
998 ** DS20/DS20E ("Goldrush" ?):
1001 - 21264 EV6 CPU at 500 or 600 MHz
1002 - dual CPU capable machine
1003 - L2 / Bcache: 4 Mbytes per CPU
1004 - memory bus: 256 bit
1005 - memory: SDRAM DIMMs
1006 installed in sets of 4
1010 - 21271 Core Logic chip-set ("Tsunami")
1011 - embedded Adaptec ? Wide Ultra SCSI
1012 - expansion: 2 independent PCI buses (called hoses)
1013 6 64-bit PCI slots (3 per hose)
1017 DS20 is housed in a fat minitower-like enclosure. The enclosure also
1018 contains a StorageWorks SCSI hotswap shelf for a maximum of 7 3.5" SCSI
1019 devices. DS20E is a sleeker case, without the StorageWorks shelf.
1022 The embedded Adaptec SCSI chip on DS20 is disabled and therefore
1023 not usable under FreeBSD.
1026 DS20 can have 2 CPUs installed. FreeBSD/alpha is not currently SMP-capable
1027 and will only use the primary CPU.
1030 If you are using banks of DIMMs of different sizes the biggest DIMMs should
1031 be installed in the DIMM slots marked '0' on the mainboard. The DIMM slots
1032 should be filled 'in order' so after bank 0 install in bank 1 and so on.
1035 Don't try to use NCR/Symbios-chip based SCSI adapters in the PCI slots
1036 connected to hose 1. There is a not-yet-found FreeBSD bug that prevents this
1037 from working correctly. DS20 ships by default with an NCR on hose 1 so you
1038 have to move this card before you can install/boot FreeBSD on it.
1040 The kernel config file must contain:
1042 Contrary to expectation there is no 'cpu EV6' defined for inclusion in the
1043 kernel config file. A 'cpu EV5' is mandatory to keep config(8) happy.
1047 < need info on this one >
1049 - onboard Adaptec is not bootable but works with FreeBSD 4.0 and later
1050 as a datadisk-only SCSI bus.
1053 Supported hardware overview
1054 ---------------------------
1056 Word of caution: the installed base for FreeBSD/alpha is not nearly as large
1057 as for FreeBSD/intel. This means that the enormous variation of PCI/ISA
1058 expansion cards out there has much less chance of having been tested on
1059 alpha than on intel. This is not to imply they are doomed to fail, just that
1060 the chance of running into something never tested before is much greater.
1061 GENERIC contains things that are known to work on Alpha only.
1063 - Expansion buses: PCI and ISA are fully supported. Turbo Channel is not
1064 in GENERIC and has limited support (see the relevant machine model info).
1065 The MCA bus is not supported. The EISA bus is not supported for use with
1066 EISA expansion cards as the EISA support code is lacking. ISA cards in EISA
1067 slots are reported to work.
1069 - Floppy drives: 1.44Mbyte and 1.2Mbyte floppy drives are supported.
1070 2.88Mbyte drives sometimes found in Alpha machines are supported up to
1073 - ATA / ATAPI (IDE): are supported via the ata driver framework. As most
1074 people run their Alphas with SCSI disks it is not as well tested as SCSI. Be
1075 aware of bootability restrictions for IDE disks. See the machine specific
1078 - SCSI: full support via the CAM layer for Adaptec 2940x (AIC7xxx
1079 chip-based), Qlogic family and NCR/Symbios. Be aware of the machine-specific
1080 bootability issues for the various adapter types.
1082 - graphics console/keyboard/mouse: in general the SRM console emulates
1083 a VGA-compatibility mode on PCI VGA cards. This is, however, not guaranteed
1084 to work by Compaq/DEC for each and every card type out there. When the SRM
1085 thinks the VGA is acceptable FreeBSD will be able to use it. The console driver
1086 works just like on a FreeBSD/intel machine. The TGA video graphics which
1087 is builtin on for example Multia is reported to be not usable with FreeBSD.
1089 - serial ports: the 'PC standard' serial ports found on most Alphas are
1090 supported. For TurboChannel machines the serial ports are also supported.
1092 - parallel ports: are not currently supported on FreeBSD/alpha
1094 - ISDN (i4b): is not supported on FreeBSD/alpha
1096 - multimedia: is not really supported on FreeBSD/alpha but work is underway
1102 In compiling this file I used multiple information sources, but
1103 http://www.netbsd.org proved to be an invaluable source of information.
1104 If it wasn't for NetBSD/alpha there probably would not be a FreeBSD/alpha
1107 People who kindly helped me with creating this document:
1109 - Nick Maniscalco <nmanisca@vt.edu>
1110 - Andrew Gallatin <gallatin@cs.duke.edu>
1111 - Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de>
1112 - David O'Brien <obrien@NUXI.com>
1113 - Wim Lemmers <wim.lemmers@compaq.com>
1114 - Matthew Jacob <mjacob@feral.com>
1115 - Eric Schnoebelen <eric@cirr.com>
1116 - Chuck Robey <chuckr@picnic.mat.net>
1117 - Mike Smith <msmith@FreeBSD.ORG>
1118 - Peter Jeremy <peter.jeremy@alcatel.com.au>
1119 - Dolf de Waal <l.j.de.waal@kader.hobby.nl>