=================================================================== RCS file: /cvsrepo/anoncvs/cvs/www/alpha.html,v retrieving revision 1.94 retrieving revision 1.95 diff -u -r1.94 -r1.95 --- www/alpha.html 2002/12/25 19:55:21 1.94 +++ www/alpha.html 2002/12/28 16:16:35 1.95 @@ -15,125 +15,243 @@

alpha

OpenBSD/alpha

History and Status:

+OpenBSD/alpha runs on a large set of the alpha computers manufactured by +Digital (then Compaq, now Hewlett-Packard). +

The OpenBSD/alpha port was begun in the summer of 1996 by using code -from the NetBSD/alpha port which was begun by Chris Demetriou -<cgd@netbsd.org> in 1994. After the original OpenBSD port, some +

+A mailing list dedicated to the OpenBSD/alpha port is available at +alpha@openbsd.org. +To join the OpenBSD/alpha mailing list, send a message body of "subscribe +alpha" to majordomo@openbsd.org. +Please be sure to check our mailing list policy before +subscribing. +

+ +

+There is currently no maintainer for the alpha port. +Technical discussion about the alpha port should be directed to the +alpha@openbsd.org mailing list. +If you are interested in the job of alpha port maintainer, help out the project +for a while and step up to the job. +

+ + +

Past history of the port +
Current status +
Project list +
Getting and installing OpenBSD/alpha +
Supported hardware list +

+ +

History:

+ +

+The OpenBSD/alpha port was started in the summer of 1996 by using code +from the NetBSD/alpha port which was started by +Chris Demetriou in 1994. +After the original OpenBSD port, some copyright issues prevented OpenBSD from tracking the NetBSD code. Regardless, work on the alpha port continued and many fixes were made. -While we were making fixes, NetBSD continued to make improvements to the +Meanwhile, NetBSD continued to make improvements to the alpha port which we were unfortunately unable to use. Over time, because of a lack of programmer resources and the inability to use NetBSD code, hardware and software support became very outdated. This caused the 2.5 and 2.6 releases of alpha to have few kernel -enhancements. As a result of its becoming so stale, alpha was not -included in the 2.7 and 2.8 releases.

+enhancements. As a result of its becoming so stale, there was no +OpenBSD/alpha port included in the 2.7 and 2.8 releases. +

Shortly after 2.8 was released, there has been a great deal of -interest in bringing the port up to date. This coupled with the fact -that NetBSD changed the license on its alpha code so that there are no +

+Shortly after OpenBSD 2.8 was released, there has been a great deal of +interest in bringing the port up to date. This, coupled with the fact +that NetBSD changed the license on its alpha code so that there were no longer copyright issues has lead to an effort to bring the alpha port back up. (For details on why we were not able to keep tracking the -NetBSD code, check our policy page.)

+NetBSD code, check our policy page.) +

Nate Binkert, Art Grabowski, Niklas Hallqvist and Eric Jackson, with +

+Nathan Binkert, Art Grabowski, Niklas Hallqvist and Eric Jackson, with the help of a few others, eventually brought the port in good shape -again, and starting with the 2.9 release alpha is a major OpenBSD port -again.

+again, and starting with the 2.9 release OpenBSD/alpha is a supported +OpenBSD port again. +

However, there is currently no maintainer for the alpha port. -Technical discussion about the alpha port should be directed to <alpha@openbsd.org>. If you -are at all interested in development of the alpha port, please send -inquiries to this address. If you are interested in the job of alpha -port maintainer, help out the project for a while and step up to the -job.

+ +

Current status:

Projects (in no particular order):

+Currently, all the hardware listed in the +supported hardware list section below boots +multi-user, and supports enough of the on-board devices to be generally +useable, unless specified otherwise. +A large set of PCI cards also work reliably, while ISA devices support has +limitations. +

+The X-Window system is supported on TGA cards, as well as a few regular PCI +cards, of which the following have been tested:

Testing more platforms and peripherals, to find what issues are -remaining and improve overall stability -
Better documentation -
compat_osf1 shared libs -
bus_dma on more core chipsets -
isa_dma -
Floppy support (needs isa_dma first) -
Fix 64-bit issues in the non-working PCI drivers -
Improve TGA support to include virtual consoles -
Improve X11 support +
3DFX Interactive Banshee
3DLabs Permedia 2 (8, 15, 16 and 24 bits depth)
ATI Rage Pro (works with 'Option "NoAccel"')
ATI Rage 128
Cirrus Logic CL5430 (works with 'Option "NoAccel"')
Cirrus Logic GD5446 (8, 16 and 24 bits depth)
Matrox MGA 2064 (8, 16 and 24 bits depth)

+More cards will be supported as time and resources permits. +

+ +

Projects (in no particular order): +

Install media:

-A number of install options exist: +

CD boot:
-Booting off the CD provides an El Torito 2.88MB floppy image that -contains drivers for the most popular devices found in alpha hardware. -This also includes minimal USB support (storage devices, keyboard and -some ethernet adapters).
-For the latest list of drivers available on this image, take a look at -the -RAMDISKBIG config file.
-
Floppy A:
-This 1.44MB floppy image supports the following alpha hardware: -
- AlphaStation 200, 250, 255, 400 - -
- AlphaServer 800, 1000 and 1000A -
- AXPpci33 based machines, such as the ``Noname'', UDB, and Multia -
- EB164 based machines, such as the PC164, 164SX and 164LX -
- Personal Workstation (Miata) -
-It contains support for the on-board devices found on these machines, -however due to lack of place there are only few other drivers. In -particular, this floppy lacks cdrom support and won't allow you to -install from cdrom media.
-
Floppy B:
-This 1.44MB floppy image supports the following alpha hardware: -
- Alpha Processor, Inc. UP1000 -
- XP1000, 264DP, DS10, and DS20 +
- Testing more platforms and peripherals, to find what issues are + remaining and improve overall stability +
- Improve port-specific documentation +
- Support recent OSF/1 binaries and shared libraries in compatibility mode +
- Support DMA for ISA devices +
- Floppy support (requers working ISA DMA first) +
- Fix 64-bit issues in the non-working PCI drivers +
- Improve X11 support
-It contains support for the on-board devices found on these machines, -however due to lack of place there are only few other drivers. In -particular, this floppy lacks cdrom support and won't allow you to -install from cdrom media.
-

+ +

+Getting and installing OpenBSD/alpha: +

-Use the method that works best for you. +The last supported OpenBSD/alpha release is +OpenBSD 3.2. +Here are the + +OpenBSD/alpha 3.2 installation instructions +. +

+Snapshots are made available from time to time, in +this location +as well as in a few +mirrors. +Here are the + +OpenBSD/alpha snapshot installation instructions + as well. +

Supported Hardware:

+There are several installation media provided: +

CD boot +
+ Booting off the OpenBSD CD provides an El Torito 2.88MB floppy image + that contains drivers for the most popular devices found in alpha + hardware. + This also includes minimal USB support (storage devices, keyboard and + some ethernet adapters).
+ For the latest list of drivers available on this image, please take a + look at the + RAMDISKBIG + kernel configuration file. +
Floppy A (floppy32.fs) +
+ This 1.44MB floppy image supports the following alpha hardware: +
- AlphaStation 200, 250, 255, 400
- AlphaServer 800, 1000 and 1000A
- AXPpci33 based machines, such as the ``Noname'', UDB, and Multia
- EB164 based machines, such as the PC164, 164SX and 164LX
- Personal Workstation (Miata)
+ It contains support for the on-board devices found on these machines, + however due to lack of place there are only few other drivers. + In particular, this floppy lacks cdrom support and will not + allow installation from cdrom media.
+ For the latest list of drivers available on this image, please take a + look at the + RAMDISK + kernel configuration file. +
Floppy B (floppyB32.fs) +
+ This 1.44MB floppy image supports the following alpha hardware: +
- Alpha Processor, Inc. UP1000
- XP1000, 264DP, DS10, and DS20
+ It contains support for the on-board devices found on these machines, + however due to lack of place there are only few other drivers. + In particular, this floppy lacks cdrom support and will not + allow installation from cdrom media.
+ For the latest list of drivers available on this image, please take a + look at the + RAMDISKB + kernel configuration file. +

Because of the changes that are currently being made to alpha, the -currently supported hardware is in flux. To the best of our knowledge, -the following hardware is supported, but there might be occasional -breakage on some models. Since there are many models and combinations -that we have not tested, we would appreciate very much if you told us -about things that work and do not work. To help us keep track of what -hardware people use, please mail your dmesg to -<dmesg@openbsd.org>. If -there are things that do not work, please file a bug report using -sendbug(1).

+ +

Supported hardware:

Supported Platforms:

+To the best of our knowledge, the following hardware is supported, but there +might be occasional breakage on some models. +Since there are many models and combinations that have not been tested, +we would appreciate very much if you told us about things that work and +do not work. +To help us keep track of what hardware people use, please mail your dmesg to +dmesg@openbsd.org. +If there are things that do not work, please file a bug report using + +sendbug(1). +

+ +

Supported Machines:

DS20, DS10, XP1000, 264DP, and other EV6 machines using the Tsunami chipset
(Only one processor on the DS20 will be used)
- Supported devices:
  - Built-in serial and parallel ports. -
  - Built-in DEC21143 ethernet. -
  - Built-in ISP SCSI. -
  - Built-in IDE controller. +
  - Built-in serial +(com) +and parallel +(lpt) +ports. +
  - Built-in DEC21143 +(dc) +ethernet. +
  - Built-in ISP SCSI +(isp). +
  - Built-in IDE controller +(pciide).
  - Built-in USB should work, but has not been thoroughly tested.
  - Most PCI devices (see below).
  - Some ISA devices (see below). @@ -149,10 +267,17 @@
    - Supported devices:
      - Built-in serial and parallel ports. -
      - Built-in DEC21040 ethernet. -
      - Built-in IDE controller works, though there may be stability - issues. +
      - Built-in serial +(com) +and parallel +(lpt) +ports. +
      - Built-in DEC21040 +(de) +ethernet. +
      - Built-in IDE controller +(pciide) +works, though there may be stability issues.
    - Unsupported devices:
      +
      
      ^(*) Drivers for hardware marked with (*) are not included on the installation floppies, but are available in the cd-rom installation -kernel as well as the GENERIC kernel which will be installed. +kernel as well as the GENERIC kernel that will be installed.
      
      ^(-) Drivers for hardware marked with (-) are not available on the installation floppies, or the cd-rom installation kernel, but are -available in the GENERIC kernel which will be installed. +available in the GENERIC kernel that will be installed.
      -
      Snapshots:
      - -
      Snapshots of the alpha port are available on -an irregular basis.
      -
      - -www@openbsd.org + + +
      -$OpenBSD: alpha.html,v 1.94 2002/12/25 19:55:21 miod Exp $ - +www@openbsd.org +
      +$OpenBSD: alpha.html,v 1.95 2002/12/28 16:16:35 miod Exp $