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Conference wrksys::alphastation

Title:Alpha Workstation Conference
Notice:See note 1.* for conference notices
Moderator:WRKSYS::HOUSE
Created:Wed Sep 07 1994
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1996
Total number of notes:9122

1981.0. "Multihead VMS" by SWAM1::POIANI_MI () Wed May 21 1997 19:58

    Does the 255 support multihead under VMS?
    
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1981.1Beware of shared slotSTAR::JACOBIPaul A. Jacobi - OpenVMS DevelopmentWed May 21 1997 20:1411
    I think some graphic cards support multihead, other do not.  You'll
    have to check each specific card.

    Note the PCI slot nearest the motherboard uses shared interrupts. 
    OpenVMS does not support the use of *any* card in this slot, limiting
    the number of PCI slots in the system.


    							-Paul

1981.2Xwindow SUpportSWAM1::POIANI_MIWed May 21 1997 20:282
    does the VMS xwindowing environment support Multihead similar to UNIX?
    
1981.33 heads, yesWRKSYS::BCLARKI have dyslexia of the fingersThu May 22 1997 09:1542
    Back in late August last year, VMS engineering and Workstation's
    PostFRS Team qualified a 3 head configuration for Alphastation 255 
    running VMS. You should find that detail in the SOC. I recall working
    with the product manager to ensure the SOC was accurately updated.
    
    In summary this is what worked:
    
    (2) TGA2 aka Powerstorm 3D30 aka PBXGB-AA configurated with the VGA
    DISabled.
    
    (1) S3trio aka Powerstorm 3D10 aka PB2GA-JA configured in the "shared
    slot" as the console.
    
    At the time, VMS was at V6.2-1H3 which required a patch to the S3
    driver:
    
      BULOVA::DISK$SYSKITS:[PUBLIC.DECWINDOWS.SERVER]DECW$SERVER_DDX_S3.EXE;2
       489  29-AUG-1996 09:37:19.00
    
    I was told at that time the corrected driver would be included
    in V7.1. I have not verified that. 
    
    Otehr details include:
    
    LX3+ @300Mhz
    SRM Console     V6.2-2
    Palcode         VMS V5.56-2     OSF X1.46-2
    Serial ROM      V1.11
    Diag ROM        V1.5
    Memory          64Mb
    system disk     RZ26F   1Q0A
    VMS Version 6.2-1H3
    Open 3D version 3.4 
     
    
    Hope this helps. By the way, while working an IPMT case recently, we
    effectively qualified a 3 headed AS255 running Unix. This will be added
    into the SOC shortly. In the Unix case, 3 heads (all 3D30) without
    Open3D (but including a new tga.o driver) under Unix 3.2G is the minimum 
    configuration which will be supported. 
    
    cheers
1981.4DECwindows 5760.*; Not Fully Supported by CDEXDELTA::HOFFMANSteve, OpenVMS EngineeringThu May 22 1997 10:2219
:    Does the 255 support multihead under VMS?

   The official definition of "support" translates as "check the SPD".  And
   in this particular case, it's not really OpenVMS that is central to the
   question, it's DECwindows...

   As for the practical answer, there are various double- and triple-headed
   AlphaStation 255 systems here in OpenVMS engineering -- all configurations
   I am aware of here are using multiple PowerStorm 3D30 (TGA2; PBXGB-AA)
   graphics controllers.  (Other controllers may also be possible, but folks
   seemed to copy the orders off one AlphaStation 255 system order.  :-)

   I posted a note describing how to set up a multi-headed system under
   OpenVMS DECwindows over in the DECwindows conference a while back.

   I had some problems getting CDE to work as one might expect on this
   configuration, but the Motif interface (which I personally prefer to
   CDE in any event) works just fine multi-headed.