The DEC list prices for Noname boards are listed below.
You will need the OSF/1 firmware to run Linux. However, Digital has made the firmware available for ftp. You can download the OSF/1 firmware for the Noname board from:
ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/axppci
This firmware can be installed with either OSF/1 or the Windows NT firmware. Instructions on how to install the firmware are included in the directory above.
If you plan on an Alpha with only 8MB of RAM, the above firmware doesn't work (a fix is in the works, but hasn't been released yet). In the meantime, you can ask for a patched version that works with 8MB by sending mail to davidm@cs.arizona.edu .
There are two serious drawbacks with the OSF/1 firmware: it's huge and eats away 2MB of RAM. Also, the OSF/1 firmware cannot boot from IDE drives. Fortunately, the free MILO replacement firmware doesn't suffer from these problems.
If you plan on running OSF/1, you have to get a board with a PS/2 style connector. On the other hand, it seems a lot easier/cheaper to find cases and keyboards for AT-style connectors. (Nekotech seems to be shipping Noname motherboards with the PS/2 connectors on a slot-bracket which allows you to have the best of both worlds: a regular (cheap) AT-case without having to tie up a serial port for the mouse.)
The only difference between the PS/2 and AT-style keyboard interface is the keyboard connector. The electrical interface is identical. In fact, you can buy AT to PS/2 converters in any computer shop for a few bucks. The advantage of PS/2-style board is that there is a second connector that can be used for a PS/2 mouse (i.e., no need to tie up a serial port with a serial mouse). But then again: economy of scale currently works in the direction that serial mice are dirt cheap and omni-present, which can't be said about PS/2 mice.
Be careful about what kind of SIMMs you get. In particular, "logical parity" SIMMs do not work. What you should get is 70ns memory with 36bits/SIMM. These are also known as ECC SIMMs. Please refer to the OEM Design Guide (see Noname OEM Design Guide ) for details.
They should and, as far as we can tell, they really do work. Besides
the drivers for the on-board interfaces, several other ISA cards are
known to work already (e.g., depca and ne2000 Ethernet cards, sound
cards). Notice that the SRM console includes a configuration command
called "isacfg" that allows to setup the PCI/ISA bridge. That command
has an undocumented option enadev that allows to enable the ISA card.
Here's some info that has been posted some time ago. Notice that the numbers are for OSF/1. Linux/Alpha is likely to be less tuned at this point, but it gives you an idea of where the hw stands. Notice that those numbers are for the 166MHz version. The 233MHz version is already out and costs about the same as the 166MHz used to cost. The OEM Design Guide lists some performance numbers for the 233MHz version (see Noname OEM Design Guide ).
<---begin included mail--->
From pierson@cimcad.enet.dec.com Tue Mar 7 17:48:44 1995
Path: CS.Arizona.EDU!noao!ncar!gatech!udel!news.mathworks.com!newshost.marcam.com!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!olivea!decwrl!pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!cimcad.enet.dec.com!pierson
From: pierson@cimcad.enet.dec.com (dave pierson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: AXP PCI mboard vs Pentium mboard (long?)
Date: 6 MAR 95 20:02:29
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 159
Message-ID: <3jgbkl$fu9@nntpd.lkg.dec.com>
References: <3j5juh$o7c@baygull.rtd.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cimcad.enet.dec.com
In article <3j5juh$o7c@baygull.rtd.com>, tony@RTD.COM (Tony Jones) writes...
>Are there any published performance specs for DEC's EBP20 21066 AXP
>motherboards.
Coming soon toa public website, but until then:
>I'm curious how it compares with a Pentium 90/100 motherboard.
>Maybe this will require NT/NT results to be accurate, though I am
>looking to run UNIX.
Hopefully OSF/1 will suffice?
==============================================================================
Subject: AXPpci_33 (166 MHz) OSF/1 Data
System Configuration:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AXPpci 33
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
OSF: OSF/1 T3.0B-4
Chip: LCA
Memory: 64 MB
CLock: 166 MHz
S-Cache 1 MB
Bus PCI
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33 AXPpci 33
BASE PEAK
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECint92 69.38 76.05
SPECrate_int92 1668.48 1804.00
SPECfp92 82.45 86.59
SPECrate_fp92 1944.64 2029.83
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECint92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33 AXPpci 33
BASE PEAK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
008.espresso 67.56 68.17
022.li 44.33 59.60
023.eqntott 148.65 150.68
026.compress 42.81 46.87
072.sc 149.50 151.51
085.gcc 39.14 44.50
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECint92 69.38 76.05
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECint_rate92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33 AXPpci 33
BASE PEAK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
008.espresso 1631.49 1631.49
022.li 1052.05 1402.73
023.eqntott 3727.06 3727.06
026.compress 1010.74 1132.72
072.sc 3581.36 3581.36
085.gcc 931.64 996.14
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECrate_int92 1668.48 1804.00
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECfp92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33 AXPpci 33
BASE PEAK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
013.spice2g6 49.53 49.59
015.doduc 80.17 91.63
034.mdljdp2 112.54 112.54
039.wave5 50.48 51.97
047.tomcatv 49.81 50.09
048.ora 95.25 100.54
052.alvinn 186.20 220.98
056.ear 250.00 261.00
077.mdljsp2 70.68 71.43
078.swm256 26.49 30.19
089.su2cor 93.34 96.77
090.hydro2d 132.37 133.40
093.nasa7 79.28 80.15
094.fpppp 73.48 77.31
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECrate_fp92 82.45 86.59
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECfp_rate92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33 AXPpci 33
BASE PEAK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
013.spice2g6 1171.24 1173.66
015.doduc 1918.04 2205.74
034.mdljdp2 2712.23 2712.23
039.wave5 1218.82 1235.99
047.tomcatv 1185.88 1185.88
048.ora 1999.83 1999.83
052.alvinn 4448.51 5211.11
056.ear 5871.84 6300.00
077.mdljsp2 1690.51 1690.51
078.swm256 632.80 715.47
089.su2cor 2185.41 2266.35
090.hydro2d 3094.59 3124.34
093.nasa7 1888.42 1915.66
094.fpppp 1759.70 1818.35
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECrate_fp92 1944.64 2029.83
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SINGLE USER BENCHAMRKS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSTEM AXPpci 33
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cern : 29.09
dhrystoneV1 : 333374.00
dhrystoneV2 : 312500.00
drlabs : 248.64
linpack_100 : 37.35
linpack_1000 : 108.80
lloops (G mean) : 24.05
lloops (H mean) : 19.39
perfect : 24.44
slalom (MFLOPS) : 53.47
slalom (Patches) : 6526
whetstone_dp : 155949.80
whetstone_sp : 178500.00
rhealstone :
CONTEXT SWITCH 22.6
PREEMPTION 52.97
MESSAGE PASSING 116.17
SEMAPHORE SHUFFLE 239.74
<---end included mail--->
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