1    OEM Platform Requirements and Restrictions

This chapter provides notes about the use of OEM platforms, with a section devoted to each platform family:

1.1    PCI/ISA Modular Single-Board Computers (SMARTengine/Alpha and EBMnn)

The SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 single-board computer (SBC) and its predecessors, the EBM2n and EBM4n SBCs, are members of a family of PCI/ISA-based modular computing components. (The PCI/ISA systems and components product family was formerly known as DIGITAL Modular Computing Components, or DMCC).

The SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 PCI/ISA SBC is a PICMG-compliant processor card based on the Compaq Alpha 21264 CPU. The EBM2n and EBM4n SBCs are PICMG-compliant processor cards based on the Compaq Alpha 21164 and 21064A CPUs, respectively.

The following notes are specific to PCI/ISA modular SBCs.

1.1.1    Verifying CPU Version

You can use the sizer utility to identify SMARTengine/Alpha 21264, EBM2n, and EBM4n SBCs. The sizer -c command displays the following output for SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 SBCs: 

sysname> sizer -c
cpu      "DMCCEV6"

The sizer -c command displays the following output for EBM2n SBCs: 

sysname> sizer -c
cpu      "DECEV56_PBP"

The sizer -c command displays the following output for EBM4n SBCs: 

sysname> sizer -c
cpu      "DECEV45_PBP"

1.1.2    Firmware Requirements

Before installing the operating system, make sure that your system has the correct firmware version. The minimum firmware version required for SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 SBCs is Version 5.6-6903 or higher. The minimum firmware version required for EBM2n and EBM4n SBCs is Version 4.7 or higher. If you have an earlier firmware version, update your firmware before installing the operating system software. For information on how to update your firmware, see the firmware documentation.

To determine the version of firmware on your system, enter the following console firmware command at the prompt: 

>>> show version

1.1.3    Installing Tru64 UNIX

For information about installing the operating system on a SMARTengine/Alpha 21264, EMB2n, or EBM4n SBC, see the Tru64 UNIX Installation Guide. The Installation Guide provides platform-specific instructions for booting. For the SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 SBC, follow the same instructions as for the EBM2n and EBM4n SBCs.

1.1.4    Restrictions and Known Problems

The following restrictions and known problems apply to PCI/ISA modular SBCs.

1.1.4.1    Option Card Restrictions

You can use the SMARTengine/Alpha 21264, EBM2n, and EBM4n SBCs on PCI/ISA backplanes in the ETMXB/ETMAB family and in corresponding kernels (platforms) in the ETMnn family. Table 1-1 lists the currently supported PCI/ISA backplanes and kernels. Not every SBC is supported in every backplane and kernel; see the current PCI/ISA components order configuration guide for details.

Table 1-1:  Supported PCI/ISA Backplanes and Kernels

Backplane Kernel Description
ETMXB-BA ETM05-xx 5-slot PICMG (2 PCI, 1 PCI/ISA, 1 ISA, 1 SBC)
ETMXB-DA ETM27-SA, 3X-ETM17-xx 7-slot PICMG (3 PCI, 1 PCI/ISA, 1 ISA, 2 SBC [1 SBC slot usable at a time])
ETMAB-CA ETM25-xx, 3X-ETM15-xx 10-slot PICMG (6 PCI, 1 PCI/ISA, 1 ISA, 2 SBC [1 SBC slot usable at a time])
ETMAB-EA ETM29-xx, 3X-ETM19-xx 10-slot PICMG (4 PCI/ISA, 4 ISA, 2 SBC [1 SBC slot usable at a time])
ETMAB-AB ETM31-CA 14-slot PICMG (7 PCI, 6 ISA, 1 SBC)
ETMAB-BB ETM33-CA 14-slot PICMG (10 PCI, 3 ISA, 1 SBC)
ETMAB-AC ETM42-CA 19-slot PICMG (10 PCI, 7 ISA, 2 SBC [1 SBC slot usable at a time])
ETMAB-BC ETM44-CA 19-slot PICMG (13 PCI, 4 ISA, 2 SBC [1 SBC slot usable at a time])

Table Note

All ETMAB backplanes use PCI-to-PCI bridge (PPB) technology to provide both primary (in front of the bridge) and secondary (behind the PPB) slots. All ETMAB backplanes are compliant with PCI Version 2.1.

The option cards shown in Table 1-2, in addition to working in front of the bridge, work behind the bridge. You can plug these cards into any available slot.

Table 1-2:  PCI/ISA Options Supported Behind the Bridge

Option Type Part Number Description
Graphics SN-PBXGB-AA TGA2 2MB PowerStorm 3D30
Graphics SN-PBXGK-BB Elsa GLoria Synergy
SCSI KZPBA-CB Qlogic PCI Ultra Wide differential SCSI controller
SCSI KZPCM-DA Dual-channel PCI to Ultra SCSI adapter with Ethernet controller
SCSI KZPSA-BB PCI differential SCSI adapter
SCSI SN-KZPBA-CA Qlogic PCI-SCSI Ultra Wide adapter (supports both narrow and wide drives)
SCSI KZPAA-AA PCI-SCSI host bus adapter
Network DE450-CA PCI NIC (TP, TW, AUI)
Network DE500-BA PCI NIC (TP)

Table Notes

1.1.4.2    PBXGB-AA (TGA2 PowerStorm 3D30) Video Card Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to the PBXGB-AA (TGA2 PowerStorm 3D30) video card (listed in Table 1-2).

1.1.4.2.1    EV5 Alias Jumper Setting (SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 and EBM2n Only)

For SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 and EBM2n SBCs only, you must set the EV5 Alias jumper on the PowerStorm 3D30 card to On.

1.1.4.2.2    VGAEN Jumper Settings

Only one PowerStorm 3D30 card can have its VGAEN jumper set to On. This card must be positioned in a primary PCI slot for the SRM Console to be displayed. All other PowerStorm 3D30 cards must have their VGAEN jumpers set to Off but may be positioned in any PCI slot. For more information about the jumpers, see the PBXGB-AA/CA PCI Graphics Option Owner's Guide, provided with the card.

1.1.4.2.3    X Server DMA Writes Must Be Disabled for Some Configurations

Some configurations of PowerStorm 3D30 cards on SMARTengine/Alpha 21264, EBM2n, and EBM4n SBCs require that you disable X server direct memory access (DMA) write operations. Specifically, you must disable these operations if the system contains multiple PowerStorm 3D30 cards, or if any PowerStorm 3D30 graphics card is installed behind the PCI-to-PCI bridge (PPB).

The general procedure for disabling X server DMA write operations is as follows:

  1. Bring the system to single-user mode.

    If you are able to use the shutdown command, execute the following command as superuser: 

    #  /usr/sbin/shutdown +2 "Disabling graphics DMA writes"

    If you cannot use the shutdown command (for example, if the X server on the video card is hung), you must halt your system by pressing the hardware halt button and then reboot your system to single-user mode by entering the following command: 

    >>>  boot -fl s

  2. Mount all local file systems.

    After your system is in single-user mode, mount all of your local file systems by entering the following command: 

    #  bcheckrc

  3. Change the directory to /usr/var/X11 by entering the following command: 

    #  cd /usr/var/X11

  4. Save a copy of the Xserver.conf file by entering a command such as the following: 

    #  cp Xserver.conf Xserver.conf.old

  5. Edit the Xserver.conf file to add the text -I -ffbDoDMA 4 to the command line arguments section. For example, if the command line arguments section is in its initial default state, it appears as follows: 

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

    Insert the text -I -ffbDoDMA 4 after -pn as follows: 

    ! you specify command line arguments here
args <
        -pn -I -ffbDoDMA 4
>

  6. Return the system to multiuser mode by executing the following command: 

    #  init 3

With this change, the video card and X server will run correctly on the SBC in multiuser mode.

1.1.4.3    Operator Control Panel and Watchdog Timer Supported Only in Hardware and Firmware

The operating system does not support the operator control panel or watchdog timer. These server management features are supported only in the hardware and the firmware.

1.1.4.4    IDE Device Mapping Potentially Impacts 21264 SBC Upgrades

The operating system identifies the IDE controllers on the SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 SBC as SCSI devices, which affects the naming of all other SCSI devices in the system. Even though the operating system does not support IDE drives on the 21264 SBC, the IDE controllers are configured during the system boot, causing the disk numbering to be shifted as if two SCSI controllers were added to the configuration.

This is not a significant issue for deploying new systems on the 21264 SBC or for SBC upgrades performed with a new operating system installation, but it can cause problems for SBC upgrades performed without a new operating system installation.

The altered naming of SCSI devices can create problems with /etc/fstab file entries and Logical Storage Manager (LSM) features that rely on a previous installation's device naming.

After a 21264 SBC upgrade, if the existing system disk has been renumbered (for example, from rz0 to rz16), the existing system will not boot from the existing system disk. The root, usr, and swap partitions to which fstab points no longer exist. To resolve the problem, you must edit the fstab file, changing device name references (for example, from rz0 to rz16). As the swap partition is not accessible, the root partition cannot be made writable. Thus you must modify the fstab file before the existing system is upgraded, or you must boot the Tru64 UNIX distribution CD-ROM in single-user mode to edit the file.

If LSM features were used in connection with the existing operating system installation, further steps may be necessary. After a 21264 SBC upgrade, LSM volume data on any renumbered disk no longer matches the physical configuration. In particular, if a system disk containing LSM volumes is renumbered, changes similar to the following will be required before the upgraded system will boot into multiuser mode:

  1. Before the SBC upgrade, disable LSM volumes on the system disk; see the volunroot -a command in the volunroot(8) reference page. You must also edit /etc/fstab to remove the LSM mount point. (See the fstab(4) reference page.)

  2. Update /etc/fstab entries to reflect device name changes resulting from the SBC upgrade. As previously mentioned, you must make these changes either before the SBC upgrade or while booted in single-user mode from the operating system CD-ROM.

  3. After the SBC upgrade, reconvert disk partitions on the system disk to LSM volumes as desired. (See the volencap(8) reference page.)

1.1.5    Configuring PCI/ISA Modular 8-Headed Graphics Systems

This section describes how to configure a PCI/ISA modular system to run 8-headed graphics.

You can configure PCI/ISA platforms that contain a EBM2n-AZ Alpha PICMG single-board computer (SBC) and multiple PowerStorm 3D30 graphics cards to run multiheaded graphics, controlling up to eight monitors at a time.

1.1.5.1    Hardware and Software Requirements

Running 8-headed graphics requires the following:

The following PCI/ISA system configuration has been qualified for running 8-headed graphics under Tru64 UNIX:

1.1.5.2    Hardware Setup

When you configure the PCI/ISA 15-slot platform for 8-headed graphics, placement of the graphics cards is critical.

The qualified configuration (described in Section 1.1.5.1) uses an ETM33-BD desktop enclosure with a 14-slot backplane. Within that enclosure, the PCI option cards must be placed into PCI slots in top-to-bottom order as follows:

For reference, the power connector is situated above the PCI slots, and the SBC and ISA connectors are below.

All PowerStorm cards must have their Alias jumper IN and VGA EN jumper OUT, except the SCREEN 0 card, which must be VGA-enabled.

1.1.5.3    Software Setup

After you complete hardware configuration for the 8-headed system, you can set up the operating system to operate the eight screens as one row of eight screens (8x1) or two rows of four screens (4x2).

By default in a multiheaded configuration, the screens are operated as 8x1. To set up the screens in a 4x2 combination, you must edit your system's X Window System server configuration file, /usr/var/X11/Xserver.conf. Instructions for editing this file to customize the X server configuration are provided in the Xserver(1X) reference page.

To set up 4x2 operation, you need to specify -edge_top, -edge_bottom, -edge_right, and -edge_left command line arguments that arrange and attach the screens as you wish them. Each argument takes scr1 and scr2 values, which are the numbers of the screens you are attaching.

For example, you could arrange the eight screens as follows:

To achieve this combination, add the appropriate command line arguments to the command line arguments section of Xserver.conf, as follows: 

! you specify command line arguments here
args <
    -pn
    -edge_top0 4     -edge_top1 5     -edge_top2 6     -edge_top3 7
    -edge_bottom4 0  -edge_bottom5 1  -edge_bottom6 2  -edge_bottom7 3
    -edge_right0 1   -edge_right1 2   -edge_right2 3
    -edge_right4 5   -edge_right5 6   -edge_right6 7
    -edge_left1 0    -edge_left2 1    -edge_left3 2
    -edge_left5 4    -edge_left6 5    -edge_left7 6
>

1.1.6    Writing PCI Bus Device Drivers

For information about writing PCI bus device drivers, see the Tru64 UNIX Device Driver Kit (DDK), which is orderable separately from the base operating system.

You can browse a subset of device driver writing materials in the Library section of the Compaq Tru64 UNIX web site, currently located at:

http://www.unix.digital.com/faqs/publications/pub_page/ devdoc_list.html

Note

The Library section of the Compaq Tru64 UNIX web site also provides the latest DDK technical updates. DDK customers should check for potential DDK technical updates whenever they install a new version of the operating system.

1.2    Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn Single-Board Computers (EBVnn)

The Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn platforms are members of a family of VMEbus-based single-board computers (SBCs). The part numbers for these SBCs are EBV14-xx (Alpha VME 4/nnn) and EBV16-xx (Alpha VME 5/nnn).

Support for the VIP/VIC64 VMEbus adapter on the Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn SBCs is consistent with the support for this adapter on AXPvme SBCs and Alpha VME 2100 systems.

The following notes are specific to Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn SBCs.

1.2.1    Verifying CPU Version

You can use the sizer utility to identify the Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn SBCs. The sizer -c command displays the following output for Alpha VME 4/224 and 4/288 SBCs: 

sysname> sizer -c
cpu      "DECALPHAVME_224"

The sizer -c command displays the following output for Alpha VME 5/352 and 5/480 SBCs: 

sysname> sizer -c
cpu      "DECALPHAVME_320"

1.2.2    Firmware Requirements

Before installing the operating system, make sure that your system has the correct firmware version. The minimum firmware versions required are Version 1.2 or higher for an Alpha VME 4/224 or 4/288 SBC, and Version 1.0 or higher for an Alpha VME 5/352 or 5/480 SBC. If you have an earlier firmware version, update your firmware before installing the operating system software. For information on how to update your firmware, see the firmware documentation.

To determine the version of firmware on your system, enter the following command at the console firmware prompt: 

>>> show version

1.2.3    Installing Tru64 UNIX

For information about installing the operating system on an Alpha VME 4/nnn or 5/nnn SBC, see the Tru64 UNIX Installation Guide. The Installation Guide provides platform-specific instructions for booting.

1.2.4    Configuring the VMEbus

For information about configuring the VMEbus for an Alpha VME SBC, see Chapter 2.

For information about setting up a VMEbus backplane-based network in which Alpha VME SBCs operate as Ethernet nodes, see Chapter 3.

1.2.5    Restrictions and Known Problems

The following restrictions apply to Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn SBCs.

1.2.5.1    VMEbus Autovectors Not Supported

The Alpha VME 4/nnn and 5/nnn SBCs do not support VMEbus autovectors.

1.2.5.2    Network Port Termination Required

An Alpha VME 4/nnn or 5/nnn SBC that has the network configured in an up state must have its external network connection properly terminated. If the network connection is unplugged or not properly terminated, then the network software will periodically time out and perform a network reset. This is normal for an unterminated Alpha VME system. However, it will cause high system latencies during the reset period, resulting in delays of about 10 milliseconds, which can affect the realtime performance of the system.

Note that a loopback connector is not sufficient to terminate the network connection.

1.2.5.3    Some TGA Video Card Configurations Require Disabling X Server DMA Writes

To use TGA video cards in some Alpha VME configurations, you must disable X server direct memory access (DMA) write operations. This restriction applies to the following configurations:

The general procedure for disabling X server DMA write operations is as follows:

  1. Bring the system to single-user mode.

    If you are able to use the shutdown command, execute the following command as superuser: 

    #  /usr/sbin/shutdown +2 "Disabling graphics DMA writes"

    If you cannot use the shutdown command (for example, if the X server on the video card is hung), you must halt your system by pressing the hardware halt button and then reboot your system to single-user mode by entering the following command: 

    >>>  boot -fl s

  2. Mount all local file systems.

    After your system is in single-user mode, mount all of your local file systems by entering the following command: 

    #  bcheckrc

  3. Change the directory to /usr/var/X11 by entering the following command: 

    #  cd /usr/var/X11

  4. Save a copy of the Xserver.conf file by entering a command such as the following: 

    #  cp Xserver.conf Xserver.conf.old

  5. Edit the Xserver.conf file to add the text -I -ffbDoDMA 4 to the command line arguments section. For example, if the command line arguments section is in its initial default state, it appears as follows: 

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

    Insert the text -I -ffbDoDMA 4 after -pn as follows: 

    ! you specify command line arguments here
args <
        -pn -I -ffbDoDMA 4
>

  6. Return the system to multiuser mode by executing the following command: 

    #  init 3

With this change, the video card and X server will run correctly on the SBC in multiuser mode.

1.2.5.4    Master Block Transfer Restrictions

For restrictions that apply to performing VMEbus master block transfers (MBLTs) using hardware DMA engines, see the discussion of MBLTs in Section 2.2.8 (VIP/VIC-based Alpha VME SBCs) or Section 2.3.11 (UNIVERSE II-based Alpha VME SBCs).

1.2.6    Writing VMEbus Device Drivers

For information about writing VMEbus device drivers, see the Tru64 UNIX Device Driver Kit (DDK), which is orderable separately from the base operating system.

You can browse a subset of device driver writing materials in the Library section of the Compaq Tru64 UNIX web site, currently located at:

http://www.unix.digital.com/faqs/publications/pub_page/ devdoc_list.html

Note

The Library section of the Compaq Tru64 UNIX web site also provides the latest DDK technical updates. DDK customers should check for potential DDK technical updates whenever they install a new version of the operating system.

1.3    AXPvme Single-Board Computers

The following notes are specific to the AXPvme single-board computers (SBCs). The part numbers for these SBCs include EBV10-xx (AXPvme 100) and EBV12-xx (AXPvme 166 and 230).

1.3.1    Firmware Upgrade Required

AXPvme SBCs must upgrade to Version 17.0 or higher of the AXPvme firmware to run the current version of the operating system.

1.3.2    Master Block Transfer Restrictions

The following restriction applies to the VIP/VIC adapter used on AXPvme SBCs and Alpha VME 2100 systems. Performing master block transfers (MBLTs) with a data width of D64 can produce unpredictable results in the following cases:

Memory must be mapped to the VMEbus prior to D64 slave access. Access to memory must coincide with the appropriate access mode. If supervisory-mode access is specified when memory is mapped, memory accesses must use supervisory mode. If user-mode access is specified, both supervisory and user access are allowed.

See Section 2.2.7 and Section 2.2.8 for more information on slave and master block transfers, including additional restrictions that apply to MBLTs.