Ultimate Workstation 533/AU

[Victor_146]

I have been trying to install Tru64 ver 5.1B on the above hardware. The install locks up as soon as the GUI comes up to ask the language selection. I have given up after several attempts and am currently running RH 7.0 on the machine. So I assume there are no hardware or memory issues.

Has anyone have any ideas as to why it would lock-up at this point?

[Steven Schweda]

I know nothing about these machines, but is
the firmware up-to-date?

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/as1200.html

[Victor_146]

Yes, all of the firmware is upto date - SRM console and the Alpha NT BIOS. (V6.0-4, 10-MAY-2001 10:11:42), (OpenVMS PALcode V1.21-2, Digital UNIX PALcode V1.23-2).

The machine is basically the same as an Alphaserver 1200.

The machine is a Dual Processor 21164 w/512 MB of RAM. Has (2) 4G, and (3) 36G drives along with a CDRom. All of them are SCSI.

Here is a link to the Specs.

http://h18002.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/SOC/QB00ORPF.PDF

I hope that this might make things clearer.

Thanks for the help.

Victor

[Steven Schweda]

I still don't know anything, but what do you
have for a graphics card? (Anything
supported?) I assume that any keyboard and
mouse will work well enough to get through
this much. Have you tried using the serial
console? (I've never figured out an easy way
to play with the disk partitions without the
GUI installer (and diskconfig), but it might
get further that way.

[Victor_146]

Hi Steven,

Sorry it's been a few days. The system has a Digtal Power Storm 410DT video card, that fits int a PCI slot.

Victor

[Steven Schweda]

I assume that "410DT" was really "4D10T".

I've used an ELSA GLoria Synergy card (Compaq
PBXGK-BB and non-Compaq ViVo) in an AlpSta
200 4/233, a PWS 500a[u] (old-style), and an
XP1000 (500MHz), but that Systems and Options
Catalog whose link you provided suggests
(page 8) that it's an NT-only item in this
system. (Could be just an old document,
too.) Is the card in PCI bus 0, as demanded
there?

I'd still try a serial console, just to see
what happens.

[Vladimir Fabecic]

Hello Victor
Did you try to boot using NHD cd?
It is probably problem with graphics driver.
You have to try two options:
1. Boot the system using NHD CD
2. Set console to serial and do text style instalation and after that apply patches and NHD. After that return to graphics console.
If nothing helped, you can temporary remove graphics crad, do text style installation, apply patches and NHD and then return graphics card in machine.
Regards

[Johan Brusche]

The 4D10T aka PBXGK-BB, aka Elsa Gloria Synergy+, is based on the 3Dlabs Permedia-2 chipset.

And is supported by Tru64 since V4.0D patchkit#5(ie.BL13), so trying the NHD-cd won't do any good. The 3D Xserver functionality is supported by the OSFSER540 setld subset.

As said before, P00>>>set console serial,
and install via terminal emulator on laptop.
Altough it works under Linux, there still could be a problem with the 4D10T.(Did you run a 3D package via Linux ?)

Rgds,
Johan.

[Steven Schweda]

My PBXGK-BB says, "GLoria Synergy-8 Compaq",
"CPQ P/N: 298693-001", and "SPARE P/N:
298796-001" (and that "chipset" is one chip).
My ViVo cards are all in systems right now,
so I can't see easily what's on them, but,
as I recall, it's similar, but with "ViVo"
in there somewhere instead of "Compaq".

There's a fellow on Ebay now, selling what he
calls "a DEC Digital Alpha PBXGK-AB 4D10T
PCI video card 8MB, 54-25192-02", which looks
different, and the picture clearly shows
"SN-PBXGK-AB" on its face, so there is more
than one variety of these things. I can
imagine some significant difference exists,
but I have no evidence or recollection
thereof.

In any case, I also (still) vote for trying
a serial console, although I'd probably use
a genuine VT220 or a DECterm on a more
serious computer, as I don't own a laptop.

[Victor_146]

Give me a few days and i'll try the serial console. I'll see if it works.

I did do a little research awhile back concerning the permedia cards and there are some distinct differences between the two. What there was I don't recall at the moment.

Thanks for the help.

Victor

[Michael Schulte zur Sur]

Have you run the eisa configuration utility after updating the firmware?

Michael

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] eisa configuration utility [...]

"The system pedestal enclosure supports up
to 2 GB of memory, six I/O slots (five PCI
and one PCI/ISA), and ten internal storage
slots, [...]"

I see no sign of an EISA bus in the "DIGITAL
Systems and Options Catalog" for this system.