Re: AlphaServer 1200 -- srm flash hangs

Stephen Hoffman

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Apr 17, 2018, 11:04:31 AM4/17/18

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On 2018-04-17 05:01:04 +0000, darren....@gmail.com said:

> I have an AlphaServer 1200 and when I tried to boot it from I got as
> 'BIOS Checksum' error. So I thought I'd flash the BIOS.
> ...
> but these do not fit onto a floppy and the CD drives are not detected by SRM.
> ...
> I'd like to know if there's a way to upgrade the BIOS/SRM versions to
> 5.3, given the system cannot currently boot.
> ...

Try using the SYS file for what it's meant for:

> MOP Firmware Upgrades
> For MOP, transfer the files and particularly the .sys version of the
> firmware file into the MOP$LOAD directory, issue set
> file/attributes=(rfm:fix,lrl:512,mrs:512,rat:none) firmware.sys, and
> issue the SRM console command B -FL 0,A0 ddcu: where ddcu: is the name
> of the network interface. You'll see a bootfile prompt, and you'll
> enter the name of the firmware file here. You can also specify this
> command on one line, with the following being an example: >>> boot
> -file firmwarefile -flags 0,a0 -protocol mop -device ewa0

Use the SYS file and MOM/MOP running on another OpenVMS system, with
that system either running emulated if you're willing to wade through
the "fun" that is emulator networking, or physical hardware.

--
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC

Bill Gunshannon

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Apr 17, 2018, 11:17:57 AM4/17/18

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Seeing this hit me with an interesting (to me anyway) question.

I may be getting some Alpha hardware in the not to distant future.
Can an Alpha boot from an Infoserver?

bill

Robert A. Brooks

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Apr 17, 2018, 11:22:00 AM4/17/18

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On 4/17/2018 11:17 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:

> I may be getting some Alpha hardware in the not to distant future.
> Can an Alpha boot from an Infoserver?

Yes

--

-- Rob

Bill Gunshannon

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Apr 17, 2018, 12:35:35 PM4/17/18

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Guess I need to get it out of the VS3100 pile and see if i can remember
how to set it up. :-)

bill

Robert A. Brooks

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Apr 17, 2018, 2:51:42 PM4/17/18

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Or you could use the infoserver software on another Alpha (or IA64) that's been part of VMS
since the early 2000's.

The executive vice-president of Infoserver Engineering may want to weigh in on this.

--

-- Rob

Bill Gunshannon

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Apr 17, 2018, 2:59:18 PM4/17/18

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I only asked because I have an Infoserver and haven't run it in ages.
Thought it might be fun. I could even set up a couple of the VS3100's,
too. :-)

Have to wait till summer to see if I get the Alphas. They are
originating in WA. That's a long trip to Scranton, PA.

bill

dgordo...@gmail.com

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Apr 17, 2018, 3:25:45 PM4/17/18

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On Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 2:51:42 PM UTC-4, Robert A. Brooks wrote:

> Or you could use the infoserver software on another Alpha (or IA64) that's been part of VMS
> since the early 2000's.
>
> The executive vice-president of Infoserver Engineering may want to weigh in on this.
>

You rang?

If you have another VMS system, you're much better off running the InfoServer as an application on VMS. The InfoServer dardware is both ancient *and* venerable, offering leisurely network and disk access speeds.

$ HELP InfoServer (or access help from the InfoServer command prompt.)

You will need MOP services as well for Alpha. LANCP can help there.

At VSI, we serve up LD container files with the weekly OS builds. You can always copy an installation CD to a LD device. The Installation and Upgrade manual contains an entire appendix on InfoServer boot IIRC.

DarrenG

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Apr 19, 2018, 9:33:09 PM4/19/18

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On Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 1:04:31 AM UTC+10, Stephen Hoffman wrote:

Thank you. I shall see what I can do. Much to learn.