DEC Alpha 3000 Model 600 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

cctalk＠beyondthepale.ie

7 Sep 7 Sep

6:37 a.m.

Rod Smallwood wrote:

I thought it might be nice to have a DEC based graphics work station. I had the Alpha, a high res monitor and the Hobbyist Media CD for ALPHAVMS 8,3. (yes the system supports 8.3) SFSG .. So CD in the drive and switch on. First a nice colour graphics demo/test. Then the nomal system level stuff. >>> prompt, enter SHO DEV and our CD drive shows as DKA400 just where it should be. So Boot DKA400: and off we go. After a while a menu appears from which you can load layered products you need. It gets part way through the load and falls over with a data error. The cd is a real bought and paid for Media CD and is not a copy.

I've come across problems with CD media and/or CD drives in several alphas. Sometimes cleaning the disks well helped (these were original CONDIST CDs too). Other times cleaning the CD drive seemed to help but usually only for a while. More often things quickly got worse and I had to change out the drive.

...

Before I do a lot of tedious emaling (HP have taken the Hobbyist program in house) has anybody successfully loaded an Alpha with ALPHA VMS 8.3?

I'm not sure what you mean here. I have ALPHA VMS 8.3 running on a Digital Personal WorkStation 500a and 8.2 running on an Alphaserver 800 5/500. I'm sure lots of people are running 8.3 on all sorts of Alphas. I have two Dec 3000 Model 600 machines but neither works - the LEDs count down to F0 (IIRC) and that's it. Nothing happens on the console. Both failed in service, one when I was trying to reboot it remotely. I think they used to run V6.2 - they've been out of action a long time. Regards, Peter Coghlan.

Reply

mark＠wickensonline.co.uk

9:48 a.m.

I was quite surprised about 8.3 supporting the DEC 3000/600 AXP, however looking at the Quickspecs you appear to be right. http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2Fc04154442.pdf However, I don't see any Turbochannel graphics adapters listed as supported, only the following: Graphics Options PBXGK ELSA/GLoria Synergy+ graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for supported PCI-based Alpha Workstations and Servers. PBXGD PowerStorm 300/500 graphics option that provides 3D acceleration or 3D acceleration with stereo viewing capabilities for supported PCI-based Alpha Workstations and Servers. PBXGF 3DLabs OXYGEN VX1 graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for supported PCI-based Alpha Workstations and Servers. PBXGG ATI RADEON 7500 2D and 3D, PCI and AGP graphics option So you might be out of luck on that front. Mark. On 07/09/15 10:16, Rod Smallwood wrote:

...

I thought it might be nice to have a DEC based graphics work station. I had the Alpha, a high res monitor and the Hobbyist Media CD for ALPHAVMS 8,3. (yes the system supports 8.3) SFSG .. So CD in the drive and switch on. First a nice colour graphics demo/test. Then the nomal system level stuff. >>> prompt, enter SHO DEV and our CD drive shows as DKA400 just where it should be. So Boot DKA400: and off we go. After a while a menu appears from which you can load layered products you need. It gets part way through the load and falls over with a data error. The cd is a real bought and paid for Media CD and is not a copy. Before I do a lot of tedious emaling (HP have taken the Hobbyist program in house) has anybody successfully loaded an Alpha with ALPHA VMS 8.3? Regards Rod

Reply

huw.davies＠kerberos.davies.net.au

8 Sep 8 Sep

4:58 a.m.

I don?t have access to the same resources I used to, but a bell ringing in my head says that V8.3 might have been supported on the 3000/400 as an upgrade but not as an original install. ISTR that the problem was running out of space on the CD to support booting older systems. As I said, this comes from memory so I could well be wrong? Huw

...

On 8 Sep 2015, at 12:52 am, Sean Caron <scaron at umich.edu> wrote: I have a 3000/400 and I was never able to get 8.3 to install on it ... I don't think I was ever able to get it to even boot from the 8.3 media (with most recent firmware) ... I just dropped back to V7.3 and it works great. Best, Sean On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 9:48 AM, Mark Wickens <mark at wickensonline.co.uk> wrote: > I was quite surprised about 8.3 supporting the DEC 3000/600 AXP, however > looking at the Quickspecs you appear to be right. > > http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2Fc04154442.pdf > > However, I don't see any Turbochannel graphics adapters listed as > supported, only the following: > > Graphics Options > PBXGK > ELSA/GLoria Synergy+ graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for > supported PCI-based > Alpha Workstations and Servers. > PBXGD > PowerStorm 300/500 graphics option that provides 3D acceleration or 3D > acceleration with > stereo viewing capabilities for supported PCI-based Alpha Workstations and > Servers. > PBXGF > 3DLabs OXYGEN VX1 graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for > supported PCI-based > Alpha Workstations and Servers. > PBXGG > ATI RADEON 7500 2D and 3D, PCI and AGP graphics option > > So you might be out of luck on that front. > > Mark. > > > > On 07/09/15 10:16, Rod Smallwood wrote: > >> I thought it might be nice to have a DEC based graphics work station. >> I had the Alpha, a high res monitor and the Hobbyist Media CD for >> ALPHAVMS 8,3. (yes the system supports 8.3) >> SFSG .. So CD in the drive and switch on. First a nice colour graphics >> demo/test. >> Then the nomal system level stuff. >>> prompt, enter SHO DEV and our CD >> drive shows as DKA400 just where it should be. >> >> So Boot DKA400: and off we go. After a while a menu appears from which >> you can load layered products you need. >> It gets part way through the load and falls over with a data error. The >> cd is a real bought and paid for Media CD and is not a copy. >> >> Before I do a lot of tedious emaling (HP have taken the Hobbyist program >> in house) has anybody successfully loaded an Alpha with ALPHA VMS 8.3? >> >> Regards >> Rod >> >> >> >> >

Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies at kerberos.davies.net.au Melbourne | "If soccer was meant to be played in the Australia | air, the sky would be painted green"

Reply

scaron＠umich.edu

6:09 p.m.

Yes, I found my DEC 3000 was very, very finicky about the CD-ROM drive as well ... fortunately persistence prevailed on my 3000/400 :O My experience is a little limited but the DEC 3000s do seem a little tricky to get to run right. Just gotta keep at it... Best, Sean On Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 6:03 PM, Rod Smallwood < rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com> wrote:

...

Now returned from vacation in southen Germany (warmer than the uk) and wading through 500+ emails. Well the good news is that 8.3 _will _install on the 3000 - 600. It boots every time now. The problem is its verry fussy about the CD drive you use. Borrowing a nearly new genuine DEC RRD drive from another alpha finally did it. Next job up is to key in the PAK for TCP/IP and pull the whole PAK .cmd file over and run it. Rod On 08/09/2015 09:58, Huw Davies wrote:

I don?t have access to the same resources I used to, but a bell ringing in my head says that V8.3 might have been supported on the 3000/400 as an upgrade but not as an original install. ISTR that the problem was running out of space on the CD to support booting older systems. As I said, this comes from memory so I could well be wrong? Huw On 8 Sep 2015, at 12:52 am, Sean Caron <scaron at umich.edu> wrote:

I have a 3000/400 and I was never able to get 8.3 to install on it ... I don't think I was ever able to get it to even boot from the 8.3 media (with most recent firmware) ... I just dropped back to V7.3 and it works great. Best, Sean On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 9:48 AM, Mark Wickens <mark at wickensonline.co.uk> wrote: I was quite surprised about 8.3 supporting the DEC 3000/600 AXP, however > looking at the Quickspecs you appear to be right. > > http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2Fc04154442.pdf > > However, I don't see any Turbochannel graphics adapters listed as > supported, only the following: > > Graphics Options > PBXGK > ELSA/GLoria Synergy+ graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for > supported PCI-based > Alpha Workstations and Servers. > PBXGD > PowerStorm 300/500 graphics option that provides 3D acceleration or 3D > acceleration with > stereo viewing capabilities for supported PCI-based Alpha Workstations > and > Servers. > PBXGF > 3DLabs OXYGEN VX1 graphics option that provides 2D acceleration for > supported PCI-based > Alpha Workstations and Servers. > PBXGG > ATI RADEON 7500 2D and 3D, PCI and AGP graphics option > > So you might be out of luck on that front. > > Mark. > > > > On 07/09/15 10:16, Rod Smallwood wrote: > > I thought it might be nice to have a DEC based graphics work station. >> I had the Alpha, a high res monitor and the Hobbyist Media CD for >> ALPHAVMS 8,3. (yes the system supports 8.3) >> SFSG .. So CD in the drive and switch on. First a nice colour graphics >> demo/test. >> Then the nomal system level stuff. >>> prompt, enter SHO DEV and our CD >> drive shows as DKA400 just where it should be. >> >> So Boot DKA400: and off we go. After a while a menu appears from which >> you can load layered products you need. >> It gets part way through the load and falls over with a data error. The >> cd is a real bought and paid for Media CD and is not a copy. >> >> Before I do a lot of tedious emaling (HP have taken the Hobbyist >> program >> in house) has anybody successfully loaded an Alpha with ALPHA VMS 8.3? >> >> Regards >> Rod >> >> >> >> >> Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies at kerberos.davies.net.au

Melbourne | "If soccer was meant to be played in the Australia | air, the sky would be painted green"

Reply