SUMMARY: Problem with multiple CPUs in sparcstation-10

From: Christian Haul (haul@dvs1.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de)
Date: Tue Feb 09 1999 - 09:18:30 CST


Thanks to all that helped so overwhelmingly fast!

I tried to combine two elderly SPARCstation-10s to one
dual CPU-machine.

First, I misinterpreted the OpenBoot versioning-scheme. It goes like
2.1, 2.2, 2.3 .... 2.10, 2.11 ... (I thought it was 2.1, 2.11, 2.12,
2.2 ...) The summary I quoted suggested that a version of at least 2.12
is nessessary. Gerald Heining <heinig@hdz-ima.rwth-aachen.de> said that
he needed even 2.18 go upgrade to 2x390z55@75MHz.

Now the CPU: TMS390Z50 says SuperSPARC no cache opposed to TMS390Z55
with 1MB fast Cache. Also, martin@stavanger.geoquest.slb.com (Martin
Oksnevad) wrote:
>
> model 20: This is a 33MHz CPU and can only be used as single CPU machines
> model 30: This is a 36MHz CPU and can only be used as single CPU machines
> model 40: This is a 40MHz CPU and can only be used as single CPU machines
> unless you have model 40 CPUs with part number 501-2570xxxxx.
> (model 40 CPUs with part number 501-2219xxxxx and 501-2358xxxxx
> can only be used as single CPU machines)
>
> You need model 41, 51 or 61 CPUs to be multi CPU safe
> (unless you have model 40 CPUs with part number 501-2570xxxxx).
>
> You can also use "multi CPU safe" model 50 CPUs from SS20s that
> will behave as model 40 CPUs in SS10s due to 40MHz on SS10 motherboard
> (50MHz on SS20 motherboard).

Several answers suggested to buy new CPUs e.g. HyperSPARC or faster
SuperSPARCS e.g. from Ross. After having a look at the prices I decided
it's cheaper to buy a new UltraSPARC at .edu-discounts and will convert
the SPARCstation-10s to XTerminals :-) (BTW: Has anyone a sun4m XKernel
he could send me? At ftp://ftp.ctr.columbia.edu/Xkernel/ there's only a
kernel for sun4c architecture and I can't lay my hands on SunOS 4.
Well, there's a linux version somewhere...)

For those who still want to try, Bill Hebert <bhebert@nuc.berkeley.edu>
noted that it takes up to 8 minutes for the first boot after installing
the MBus modules.

        Christian Haul

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