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<h2 id=OpenBSD>
<a href="index.html">
<i>Open</i><b>BSD</b></a>
alpha
</h2>
<hr>

<table><tr><td>
<p>
OpenBSD/alpha runs on a large set of the alpha computers manufactured by
<a href="http://www.digital.com">Digital</a> (then Compaq, now Hewlett-Packard).

<p>
A mailing list dedicated to the OpenBSD/alpha port is available at
<a href="mailto:alpha@openbsd.org">alpha@openbsd.org</a>.
To join the OpenBSD/alpha mailing list, send a message body of <b>"subscribe
alpha"</b> to <a href="mailto:majordomo@openbsd.org">majordomo@openbsd.org</a>.
Please be sure to check our <a href="mail.html">mailing list policy</a> before
subscribing.
</table>

<hr>

<h3 id="history"><strong>History:</strong></h3>

<p>
The OpenBSD/alpha port was started in the summer of 1996 by using code
from the NetBSD/alpha port which was started by
<a href="mailto:cgd@netbsd.org">Chris Demetriou</a> 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.
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NetBSD code, hardware and software support became very outdated.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, there was no
OpenBSD/alpha port included in the 2.7 and 2.8 releases.

<p>
Shortly after OpenBSD 2.8 was released, there was 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 led 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 <a href="policy.html">policy</a> page.)

<p>
Nathan Binkert, Art Grabowski, Niklas Hallqvist and Eric Jackson, with
the help of a few others, eventually brought the port into good shape
again, and starting with the 2.9 release OpenBSD/alpha is a supported
OpenBSD port again.

<hr>

<h3 id="status"><strong>Current status:</strong></h3>

<p>
Currently, all the hardware listed in the
<a href="#hardware">supported hardware</a> section below boots
multi-user, and supports enough of the on-board devices to be generally
usable, unless specified otherwise.
A large set of PCI cards also work reliably, while ISA devices support has
limitations.

<p>
X11 server support is currently broken on alpha.

<hr>

<h3 id="hardware"><strong>Supported hardware:</strong></h3>

<p>
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
<a href="mailto:dmesg@openbsd.org">dmesg@openbsd.org</a>.
If there are things that do not work, please file a bug report using
<a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/sendbug.1">
sendbug(1)</a>.

<p>

<h4>Supported Machines:</h4>
<ul>
<li>DS15, DS15A, DS25, ES45, TS15 and TS202C
<li>264DP, CS20, DS10, DS20, DS20L, ES40, XP900, XP1000, and other EV6 machines
using the Tsunami chipset
<li>API UP1000, UP1100, UP2000, and UP2000+ and other EV6 machines using the
Irongate chipset
<li>Digital Personal Workstation (Miata)<br>
<li>EB164 based machines (including PC164, 164SX, 164LX, but <strong>NOT</strong> the
164UX)<br>
<li>AlphaStation 600A, 1200
<li>AlphaServer 800 (also known as Digital Server 3300 and 3305), 1000, 1000A
<li>AlphaServer 1200, 4000 and 4100
<li>AlphaServer 300, 400 and AlphaStation 200, 250, 255 and 400
<li>AlphaStation 500 and 600
<li>AXPpci based machines (including "Noname", UDB, Multia)
<li>DEC 3000 models 300{,L,X,LX}
<li>DEC 3000 models 400,500,500X,600,700,800,900
</ul>

<h4>Unsupported Machines</h4>
<ul>
  <li>DECpc AXP150 (2000/300) "Jensen" systems (EISA-bus PC-like systems)
  <li>AlphaServer 2000, 2100 and 2100A
  <li>AlphaServer 8200, 8400, GS60 and GS140
  <li>AlphaServer ES47, ES80 and GS1280
  <li>AlphaServer GS80, GS160 and GS320
  <li>Alpha XL systems (no SRM)
  <li>DEC 4000, 7000, and 10000 systems (FutureBus+ and XMIBus-based)
  <li>EB64+ based systems
  <li>Samsung 164BX/UX (no SRM)
  <li>VME Alpha systems
  <li>Tadpole ALPHAbook
</ul>

<h4>Supported devices</h4>
<ul>
  <li>Host Controllers and Bridges, including:
  <ul>
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/tcasic.4">tcasic(4)</a>
        TURBOchannel host bus,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/lca.4">lca(4)</a>
        DECchip 21066 Core Logic,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/apecs.4">apecs(4)</a>
        DECchip 21072/21071 Core Logic,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/cia.4">cia(4)</a>
        DECchip 2117x Core Logic,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/tsc.4">tsc(4)</a>
        DECchip 21272 and 21274 Core Logic,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/irongate.4">irongate(4)</a>
        API UP1000 AMD751 Core Logic and AGP,
    <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/mcbus.4">mcbus(4)</a>
         MCBUS System Bus.
  </ul>
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/com.4">com(4)</a>
  built-in serial.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/lpt.4">lpt(4)</a>
  built-in parallel.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/de.4">de(4)</a>
  built-in DEC Ethernet.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/fxp.4">fxp(4)</a>
  built-in i8255x Ethernet.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/le.4">le(4)</a>
  built-in LANCE Ethernet.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/qlw.4">qlw(4)</a>
  built-in ISP SCSI controller.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/ahc.4">ahc(4)</a>
  built-in Adaptec SCSI controller.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/siop.4">siop(4)</a>
  built-in 53C810 SCSI controller.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/asc.4">asc(4)</a>
  built-in 53C94/53CF94-2 SCSI controller.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/pciide.4">pciide(4)</a>
  built-in IDE controller.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/usb.4">usb(4)</a>
  built-in USB supports most USB devices.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/uvideo.4">uvideo(4)</a>
  UVC-compatible Video devices.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/pci.4">pci(4)</a>
  most PCI devices.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/isa.4">isa(4)</a>
  some ISA devices.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/eisa.4">eisa(4)</a>
  some EISA devices.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/pckbd.4">pckbd(4)</a>
  PS/2 and AT keyboards.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/pms.4">pms(4)</a>
  PS/2 mice.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/le.4">le(4)</a>
   TURBOchannel LANCE Ethernet cards (PMAD-A) on DEC 3000.
  <li><a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/asc.4">asc(4)</a>
  TURBOchannel SCSI (53C94) (PMAZ-A) on DEC 3000.
</ul>

<h4>Unsupported devices</h4>
<ul>
  <li>Floppy drive.
  <li>ISA devices that require DMA operation.
  <li>ISA IDE controller
(<a href="https://man.openbsd.org/alpha/wdc.4">wdc</a>)
on the EB164.
  <li>Built-in framebuffer on DEC 3000.
</ul>

<hr>

<h3 id="install">
<strong>Getting and installing OpenBSD/alpha:</strong>
</h3>

<p>
The latest supported OpenBSD/alpha release is
<a href="75.html">OpenBSD 7.5</a>.
Here are the
<a href="https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/7.5/alpha/INSTALL.alpha">
OpenBSD/alpha installation instructions</a>.

<p>
Snapshots are made available from time to time, in
<a href="https://cdn.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/alpha">this location</a>
as well as on a few
<a href="ftp.html">mirrors</a>.
Here are the
<a href="https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/snapshots/alpha/INSTALL.alpha">
OpenBSD/alpha snapshot installation instructions</a> as well.

<p>
Installation media provided:

<ul>
  <li><strong>CD image</strong> (install75.iso)
  <p>
  The CD ISO provides an <i>El Torito</i> 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).<br>
  For the latest list of drivers available on this image, please take a
  look at the
  <a href="https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/src/sys/arch/alpha/conf/RAMDISKBIG?rev=HEAD">RAMDISKBIG</a>
  kernel configuration file.
</ul>