Re: DEC 3000 problems

[Ulrich Teichert <krypton@ulrich-teichert.org>]

Hi,

>I know this is slightly off topic but I have no idea where else to ask for
>more info. I'm working on getting linux to run on the DEC 3000/300 (the
>old turbochannel based alpha systems).

I have a 3000/M300LX and a M300X, which are both in working condition,
(albeit the 300X has no internal disk) which would be ideal targets ;-)

[del]
>corrupted flash, would I still be able to get to the SRM prompt ? The
>reason I ask is that I'm thinking of recovering the flash by writing a
>small program I can upload using SRM deposit commands. That program
>would then load a correct flash image using xmodem over the console
>serial port and write it to the flash. Is this approach doable ? The
>only other way I see is to use the SROM mini console port, but I have no
>idea how that port works.=20

Wouldn't it be simpler to write the whole flash? My SRM boot message:

DEC 3000 - M300X
Digital Equipment Corporation
     VPP PAL V5.56-80800101/OSF PAL V1.45-80800201 - Built on 28-JAN-1997 10:54:25.34

TCINFO      DEVNAM        DEVSTAT
------      --------      --------
                 CPU      OK KN16-CA -V7.0-S889-I21F-sV2.1 -DECchip 21064  P3.0
                 OSC      175 MHz
                ASIC      OK
                 MEM      OK
               FEROM      OK
6
                 CXT      OK
5
                 NVR      OK
                 SCC      ? 60
                  NI      OK
                ISDN      OK
4
                SCSI      OK
0-PMAGB-BA      TC0    

Appears to be very similar to yours:

>Devnam           Devstat
>--------         -------
>     CPU          OK KN16-CA -V7.0-S889-I21F-sV2.1 -DECchip 21064  P3.0
>     OSC          175 MHz
>    ASIC          OK
>     MEM          OK 64MB
>     NVR          OK
>     CXT          INIT-S-MEM...
[del]

So, if someone is telling me what to do to get the FEPROM contents out
of it, you can have them. Alternatively, I would send the whole machine
to you or to someone else who can de-solder the proms without destroying
the box, read them out, re-program yours and put them back in. I know
where the hot end of a soldering iron is, but such treatment would be
too much for me. IIRC, you've tried the firmware flashing procedure
already and failed, right?

HTH,
Uli
BTW: Do you have any patches ready to try out? Hint, hint ;-)
-- 
Dipl. Inf. Ulrich Teichert|e-mail: Ulrich.Teichert@gmx.de
Stormweg 24               |listening to: Noticable One (Rotten Apples)
24539 Neumuenster, Germany|Obstacle 1 (Interpol) Paranoia (N.Y. Rel-X)