DECstation 3000/400 - Firmware/SROM

Robert Doerfler

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Sep 5, 2009, 8:13:33 AM9/5/09

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Hi,

i'm a 22 year old DEC enthusiast with some little problem: I got some
DECstation 3000/400 sometime ago and i can't install NetBSD or even
OpenVMS8.3 cause of an too old firmware. I'm not able to upgrade the
firmware due to an too old srom chip. How could i solve this issue? Where
could i buy some new one or is someone around here with an image of the
chip?

--
Greetings,
Robert

Jordi Guillaumes i Pons

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Sep 5, 2009, 11:24:50 AM9/5/09

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En/na Robert Doerfler ha escrit:

I don't know if this will be useful to you, but this page explains the
firmware update procedure in detail:

http://www.phys.ufl.edu/docs/system/dunix.html

Now, you "only" need to get a firmware CDROM and a new chip. The SROM
chips are usually quite standard (I replaced one on my old Sun Ultra-1 a
few weeks ago, not the same model, but completely compatible). Googles &
ebay are your friends ;)

Good luck!

Michael Kraemer

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Sep 5, 2009, 12:57:48 PM9/5/09

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Jordi Guillaumes i Pons schrieb:

> En/na Robert Doerfler ha escrit:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> i'm a 22 year old DEC enthusiast with some little problem: I got some
>> DECstation 3000/400 sometime ago and i can't install NetBSD or even
>> OpenVMS8.3 cause of an too old firmware. I'm not able to upgrade the
>> firmware due to an too old srom chip. How could i solve this issue?
>> Where could i buy some new one or is someone around here with an image
>> of the chip?
>
>
> I don't know if this will be useful to you, but this page explains the
> firmware update procedure in detail:
>
> http://www.phys.ufl.edu/docs/system/dunix.html
>
> Now, you "only" need to get a firmware CDROM and a new chip.

not quite.
There may be pitfalls:

http://www.gsi.de/~kraemer/COLLECTION/DEC/axp3400.html

Bob Koehler

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Sep 8, 2009, 5:09:46 PM9/8/09

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Make sure that's an Alpha DECstation, not a MIPS or x86 DECstation.

(DECstation is the only name I know of that DEC applied to three
incompatable architecures, unless you count "PDP").

Roger Ivie

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Sep 8, 2009, 10:41:17 PM9/8/09

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On 2009-09-08, Bob Koehler <koe...@eisner.nospam.encompasserve.org> wrote:
> Make sure that's an Alpha DECstation, not a MIPS or x86 DECstation.
>
> (DECstation is the only name I know of that DEC applied to three
> incompatable architecures, unless you count "PDP").

Four. There was also at one time a PDP-8 DECstation.
--
roger ivie
ri...@ridgenet.net

Robert Doerfler

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Sep 9, 2009, 2:43:55 AM9/9/09

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>> Make sure that's an Alpha DECstation, not a MIPS or x86 DECstation.
>> (DECstation is the only name I know of that DEC applied to three
>> incompatable architecures, unless you count "PDP").
> Four. There was also at one time a PDP-8 DECstation.

Hehe, sorry for all the confusions about the correct model, it's an
DEC 3000/400 AXP. What i figured out so far is to update the Firmware
to 3.0, buying a new SROM chip at ebay and updating the firmware to v6.1.

--
Greetings,
Robert

Bob Koehler

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Sep 9, 2009, 3:49:53 AM9/9/09

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We had a Micro PDP-8 inside a VT52 with a couple of RX01 that
was labeled VT78, but I don't recall "DECstation" on it.

Dennis Grevenstein

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Sep 9, 2009, 3:26:14 PM9/9/09

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Robert Doerfler <robert....@bps-system.de> wrote:
>
> Hehe, sorry for all the confusions about the correct model, it's an
> DEC 3000/400 AXP. What i figured out so far is to update the Firmware
> to 3.0, buying a new SROM chip at ebay and updating the firmware to v6.1.

7.0 is the latest release and recommended (maybe necessary) if you
want to run VMS.

Dennis

--
Don't suffer from insanity...
Enjoy every minute of it.

Robert Doerfler

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Sep 10, 2009, 3:35:25 AM9/10/09

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> 7.0 is the latest release and recommended (maybe necessary) if you want
> to run VMS.

As long as i don't have a 500/au i would use it for OpenVMS8.3 ;)

--
Greetings,
Robert