Call for Alpha Emulator Beta Testers using Tru64 and OSF/1

[John Manger]

Tru64 UNIX Community

This is a call for Tru64 testers for the Public Beta of FreeAXP™, a free Emulator of a Digital Alphaserver 400 4/166 (Avanti).

FreeAXP™ has been in public beta for over two months with VMS users, but with the announcement this morning of FreeAXP™ Beta 1.0.5.261, it is now time to test it with the world's finest 64bit UNIX.

The FreeAXP beta is available here :

http://www.migrationspecialties.com/FreeAXP.html

No sign up is required. The emulator is free and will always remain so, it never expires, and most importantly, FreeAXP can run Tru64 UNIX V5.1A and V5.1B just like a real Avanti.

So, please download it and try it out on a suitable Windows system with at least two processors (cores), and let us know how you get on and any issues you find. There is a dedicated support forum for FreeAXP (kindly hosted by the guys at OpenVMS Hobbyist) here :

http://www.openvmshobbyist.com/forum/index.php

Please use that forum (and/or ITRC) to share results, ask questions, or make suggestions for improvements. We're particularly interested in hearing about results from testers with older versions of Digital UNIX. Currently we've tested versions as far back as V4.0D, but we would love to hear how V3.2A through V4.0A behave.


John Manger

[Rob Leadbeater]

Hi John,

My initial tests are showing that performance is much slower than PersonalAlpha, running on the same hardware, and all I'm doing is trying to boot up off a 4.0F CD. Not sure if that's to be expected given that you're emulating a higher spec. Alpha...?

I'm also seeing these errors when booting off CD or an ISO image:

Initializing system for Digital UNIX installation. Please wait...

cam_logger: CAM_ERROR packet
cam_logger: bus 0 target 6 lun 0
ss_perform_timeout
timeout on disconnected request
Active CCB at time of error
cam_logger: CAM_ERROR packet
cam_logger: bus 0 target 6 lun 0
ss_abort_done
SCSI abort has been performed

*** Performing CDROM Installation

Loading installation process and scanning system hardware.
cam_logger: CAM_ERROR packet
cam_logger: bus 0 target 6 lun 0
ss_perform_timeout
timeout on disconnected request
Active CCB at time of error
cam_logger: CAM_ERROR packet
cam_logger: bus 0 target 6 lun 0
ss_abort_done
SCSI abort has been performed


What's the long term goal of the project ? Just wondering if you're going to be looking to compete with Stromasys in the future ?

Cheers,

Rob

[John Manger]

Rob,

The current version, 261, is 'beta' software, and its not 'finished' yet ;-) Functionality (and removal of bugs) comes ahead of performance, so 261 isn't representative of the end product in that respect. (And it is a bit faster once you no longer need to access a physical CD !) However, you should see a useful jump in performance across the next few releases.

As to the CAM events, 4.0F with PK8 should fix the messages that you're seeing.

The future plans for FreeAXP and 'Avanti' are outlined, or linked to, on the FreeAXP page, suffice it to say that the Alpha/Tru64 user base is big enough for more than a single Alpha emulation solution.

John M

[John Manger]

Beta release 271 has been available for a week or so now. Its faster than 261, so if you've tried 261, you may want to try 271 as well.

In other news, OSF/1 V3.2C appears to run ok, with the small caveat that FreeAXP's De500 is too 'modern' for it. In response to that finding, a future FreeAXP release should be implementing the early De500 variant recognised by V3.2C, an addition which will also benefit the earlier VMS releases.

We're still hoping someone out there could try V3.2A, V3.2G and V4.0A .... but so far no-one has admitted to even having a copy :-(

John M

[Rob Leadbeater]

Hi John,

Are there any plans to do a version of FreeAXP or Avanti to run on Linux rather than Windows ?

Cheers,

Rob

[John Manger]

Rob,

At the moment a Linux version is an aspirational goal - Ie. there is no 'firm' date or commitment to a Linux port of Avanti at present. However, Avanti/FreeAXP is highly modular and is designed with ease of porting in mind, and indeed started life in a Linux based project, so it remains a possibility. But development resources are finite (!), and the Windows version promises a faster adoption rate with all the benefits that should flow from that.

So Linux ?, no not yet, but one day ....

John M

[elton91]

Hi!
Does it support X Window System ?

[John Manger]

> Does it support the X-Window System ?

There are several parts to the answer :-)

X-Windows is included with Tru64 UNIX and OpenVMS, so both of those guest o/s could participate in an X11 world when running on FreeAXP (provided the relevant software subsets are installed).

However, FreeAXP emulates an Alphaserver 400 and does not include a graphics adapter. Consequently, console access is via an emulated serial console, not via a grahics console.

Thus X11 is perfectly usable from the guest o/s, but not via the console device. Typically, one might display X11 to a remote X-Window server, or login from one using xdcmp. The remote X-Window server could be under Windows (running eXceed/Excursion/XMing etc) or another Un*x/Linux system.

John M

[John Manger]

The support forum for the free Alphaserver emulator FreeAXP moved a few months ago after some hosting problems.  Its now available here :

www.vmshobbyist.org/forum/index.php

FreeAXP is under the 'Alpha Systems Forums' section.

So now you know ;-)

John M