4    Processor-Specific Notes

This chapter contains general notes that apply to all processors and specific notes that apply to the following systems:

Do not attempt to install this release of the operating system without first reading the notes appropriate to your processor. Failure to read these notes can result in installation problems. Also, before you start your installation, be sure to review the hardware documentation that came with your system.

4.1    General Notes on Processors

The following notes apply to more than one processor type.

4.1.1    Upgrading Your Hardware

You can follow the instructions in the Installation Guide and those provided by your hardware and firmware documentation when you add new options or change your system hardware. However, if the new option is supported only in the newest version of the operating system, you must perform the upgrade in the following sequence:

  1. Update your operating system software.

  2. Upgrade your firmware.

  3. Upgrade your hardware or install the new option.

  4. Follow the instructions in Chapter 2 of the Tru64 UNIX Installation Guide to rebuild your system kernel.

4.1.2    Future Enhancements for Expanded Block Size

Most applications accessing storage devices (such as disk, CD-ROM, floppy drives, and so on) currently assume each block of data contains 512 bytes of data. In the future, for applications using raw access to these devices, this assumption will not necessarily be valid. Applications using file systems (such as UFS, AdVFS, CDFS, and DVDFS) will not be impacted. Applications using raw access should be modified to use the DEVGETGEOM ioctl call to determine a device's sector size and adjust accesses appropriately.

4.1.3    Floppy Disk Drives

Some of the software documentation states to use the floppy disk drive for certain procedures. However, some systems do not include floppy disk drives. If your system does not include a floppy disk drive, you must find an alternative to the documented procedure.

4.1.4    KZPSA Behind the PCI-to-PCI Bridge

On AlphaServer 1000A and 2100A class systems, updating the firmware on a KZPSA SCSI adapter is not supported when the adapter is behind the PCI-to-PCI bridge. See your hardware installation manual for further information.

4.1.5    Qlogic ISP1040B CAM Errors

On systems with a Qlogic ISP1040B option, CAM errors like the following might occur when you boot the system: 

pci2000 at pci0 slot 8
isp0 at pci2000 slot 0
isp0: QLOGIC ISP1020A
cam_logger: CAM_ERROR packet
cam_logger: bus 0
isp_probe
NVRAM parameters invalid, using driver Fast10 defaults

To correct the error, you must use the eeromcfg utility to program the NVRAM with the proper set of parameters. The eeromcfg utility is provided in the /mnt-pnt/utility directory of the Alpha Systems Firmware Update CD-ROM. Consult the readme.txt file in that directory for information about how to use the utility.

4.1.6    DJ-ML200-xx PCI NVRAM Hardware Revision

The revision of the ML200-xx 2/4/8MB PCI NVRAM adapter must be revision E01.

4.1.7    No Console-Level Multipath Support for Some Older Systems

The console firmware on the AlphaServer 1000, AlphaServer 1000A, and AlphaServer 2x00 systems does not support selecting multiple boot or dump devices for storage units located behind HSZ70, HSZ80, or HSG80 RAID Array controllers that are enabled for multiple-bus failover mode.

The console must have a visible path to the storage unit that it is booting from or to which it is dumping. If a controller, in multiple-bus failover mode, fails over to the other controller, all devices served by the failed controller are now visible on alternate paths. Therefore, before booting the system, reset the bootdef_dev console environment variable to a path that is visible to the boot device.

After the operating system has been booted, multipath support is fully functional.

4.2    AlphaServer 1000 and 1000A Systems

The following notes are specific to AlphaServer 1000 and 1000A systems.

4.2.1    EISA Configuration Utility Version 1.10

This note applies to users of the onboard Cirrus VGA graphics controller.

The default setting for the VGA graphics controller when running the EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) Version 1.10 is Disabled. For previous versions, the default is Enabled.

When you run the ECU Version 1.10 for the first time on a system that was previously configured with an earlier version of the ECU, the setting for the onboard VGA graphics controller is automatically set to Disabled. To change the default value, run the ECU, select Step 3: View and edit details, and set the VGA graphic controller to Enabled before exiting. If you do not set the VGA graphic controller to Enabled prior to booting the operating system, your X server will not start and your system will have generic console support when you boot the operating system.

4.2.2    Graphics Resolution

The default graphics resolution for AlphaServer 1000A systems that contain built-in Cirrus video with 1 MB of video RAM is 1024x768. If the optional 512 KB of video RAM is not present, the operating system supports resolutions of 640x480 (by default) or 800x600 only.

The default graphics resolution for AlphaServer 1000 systems that contain built-in Cirrus video with 512 KB of video RAM is 640x480. This configuration also supports 800x600 resolution.

To use 800x600 resolution, edit the following line in the /usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xservers file: 

:0 local /usr/bin/X11/X
 

Change the line to: 

:0 local /usr/bin/X11/X "-screen0 800x600"
 

To use 800x600 resolution for the CDE Session Manager, edit the following line in the /usr/dt/config/Xservers and Xservers.conf files: 

:0 Local local@console /usr/bin/X11/X :0
 

Change the line to: 

:0 Local local@console /usr/bin/X11/X :0 -screen0 800
 

To use 800x600 resolution, edit the file /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf to add the X server command line argument "-screen 800x600". For example:

 ! you specify command line arguments here args <         -pn         -screen 800x600 >

Before editing this file, be sure that your system's monitor supports 800x600 resolution.

4.3    AlphaServer GS Systems

The following notes are specific to AlphaServer GS systems.

4.3.1    Do Not Repetitively Power Cycle CPUs

The use of OLAR management commands in continuous test loops can degrade the reliability of the CPU. These commands remove the DC power source from the CPU module. We recommend that you do not power cycle CPUs repetitively with shell scripts.

The CPU module's DC to DC converter is specified to have a maximum of 1000 power cycles. Do not exceed this number of power cycles for a CPU.

4.3.2    Hot Add Restriction

This release of the operating system supports GS80, GS160, and GS320 CPU hot additions with the following restriction: A Quad Building Block (QBB) booted without memory and without at least one CPU cannot have CPUs hot added to that QBB. Doing so will result in a system panic. If the target QBB is booted with memory and at least one CPU, additional CPUs can be hot added as desired. This is a software restriction that will be lifted in a future kernel update.

4.4    AlphaServer DS25 Systems

The following note is specific to AlphaServer DS25 systems.

4.4.1    Restriction on Burning CD-ROMs

This release provides support for a CD-R/W console device on the AlphaServer DS25 model. HP supports the burning of CD-ROM media on the AlphaServer model DS25 processor only.

Because of a restriction in the IDE controller of the ACER M1543C PCI-to-ISA bus bridge, it is not possible to use direct memory access (DMA) to perform data write transfers to CD-R or CD-RW drives that are controlled by this chip. Consequently, this release provides a workaround to use the slower programmed input/output (PIO) method so that the ACER M1543C chip can successfully complete CD-ROM burns using the CD-R/W drive on the AlphaServer DS25.

System loads have an effect on PIO transfers because the I/O must pass through the processor. If your system is under a heavy CPU load, it is possible that a buffer underrun might occur, resulting in a failed burn operation. In such cases, CD-R media is destroyed, but you can attempt the burn again provided you use rewriteable CD-RW media.

To avoid this problem, always run a test burn under your typical CPU load. Specify the -dummy option with the cdrecord command as shown in the following example: 

# cdrecord -dummy -v -data padsize=307200 speed=0 dev=0,0,0 ./test.iso

If the burn fails consistently, retry when there is a lighter load on the CPU.

For additional information, see the Best Practice Recording a Data CD-ROM at the following URL:

http://www.tru64unix.compaq.com/docs/best_practices/BP_CDRECORD/TITLE.HTM

4.5    Personal Workstation 433au, 500au, and 600au Systems

The following notes are specific to Personal Workstation class systems.

4.5.1    64-Bit PCI Option Cards

The 64-bit PCI slots, slots 4 and 5, are intended only for those cards listed in the Systems and Options Catalog as supported for slots 4 and 5. The console prevents system operation and displays the following error if an unsupported card is present in one of these slots (n): 

Illegal device detected on primary bus in physical slot n
Power down the system and remove the unsupported device from slot n

4.5.2    Incorrect Default Keyboard Mappings

If you use a PCXLA-NA keyboard on a Personal Workstation 433au, 500au, or 600au class system, the keys will not map properly unless you reconfigure the keyboard driver to use the correct keymaps.

You can do this by executing the following command: 

# sysconfig -r gpc_input kbd_scancode=2

If you prefer, you can use the sysconfigdb command to add the following entry to the /etc/sysconfigtab file: 

gpc_input:
kbd_scancode = 2

If you use the sysconfig command to reconfigure the driver, you must execute the command each time you reboot the system. Using the sysconfigdb utility to make the change preserves the information across reboots, and no other user intervention is required.

4.6    Alpha VME and PCI/ISA (DMCC) Modular Single-Board Computers

For information about configuring the operating system on Alpha VME single-board computers (SBCs) and PCI/ISA EBMnn modular SBCs, see the System Configuration Supplement: OEM Platforms manual. (The PCI/ISA modular systems and components product family was formerly known as DIGITAL Modular Computing Components, or DMCC.)