G450 on Avanti (Alphastation 200 4/166)
Hello,
maybe someone is interested in the following information: It's possible to
use a Matrox G450 DH PCI on the DEC Avati platform. I was successful in
getting one of these cards to run in my Alphastation 200 4/166. Be sure to
use the latest SRM firmware (v7.0-9). The SRM bios emulation is not able to
use the Matrox with the original Matrox bios (I've tried v1.3 and v1.4
without success). The trick is to update the G450 to the v2.00-36 firmware
which is provided by IBM for it's Intellistation series. Just search on
IBM's support site with the keyword G450 and you will find an entry which is
called QE3T03A. The update process requires that the G450 is used in an
normal x86-PC. After updating the bios you can use the G450 with the
Alphastation. Be patient: It takes up to 5 seconds until the bootup screen
appears. On debian you also have to compile the Kernel for G400/G450 support
if you want to use the framebuffer.
BTW, if you've got an old Avanti Alphastation and want to upgrade the
memory, the Kingston KTV-Z6000/512 is a good choice. I've upgraded my Alpha
with this kit to 384 MB. 36-bit PS/2 RAM is hard to find.
I've made the experience that an original Mylex DAC960PD-3 RAID controller
runs great in the Avanti Alphastation when the latest DEC firmware for KZPSC
(release v2.70) is flashed. I've used an external flash device to program
the Intel flash chip. It's possible to configure the RAID configuration with
the DEC utility (you have to use ARC to start the program) and to boot from
the RAID array out of SRM. The DEC firmware also supports SCSI harddisks
manufactured from other brands (IBM for example).
I hope that someone can use this information.
Regards, Eike
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