===== Eiger (SMARTengine 21264 PCI/ISA SBC) ===== ^ Eiger ^^ ^ Codename | Eiger; the kernel's ''systype'' 37 (''ST_DEC_EIGER''), and "DMCC_EV6" to Tru64 UNIX | ^ Also sold as | DMCC 21264 PICMG CPU (Digital, Compaq), SMARTengine 21264 PCI/ISA SBC (SMART Modular), Force Flexor A264/500 (Force Computers) | ^ CPU | [[wp>Alpha_21264|21264]] (EV6), 500 MHz on the A264/500 | ^ Core logic | [[hardware:chipsets#21272|21272]] (Tsunami) with one Pchip | ^ Memory | 512 MiB and 1 GiB configurations reported | ^ Buses | 64-bit PCI and ISA, from a PICMG passive backplane | ^ Form factor | PICMG single board computer with a separate I/O card | ^ Firmware | SRM (V5.7-2 reported), AlphaBIOS | ^ Kernel option | ''CONFIG_ALPHA_EIGER'' | ^ Linux | Untested | Eiger is the codename of a 21264 single board computer in the PICMG form factor, the EV6 successor to the [[hardware:motherboards:takara|Takara]]. It began as part of Digital's and Compaq's Modular Computing Components line, was sold by SMART Modular Technologies as the SMARTengine 21264 PCI/ISA SBC, and later by Force Computers as the Flexor A264/500. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-December.mbox#L24522|"RE: Annoying Error"]], Iain Grant, axp-list, 13 Dec 1999)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2003-March.mbox#L3927|"Wanted: Force Flexor A264 (Eiger) IO cards"]], Marko Havu, comp.sys.dec, 18 Mar 2003)] Jay Estabrook noted that, like the Takara, it could be had as a board without a system, but never in the quantities of the AlphaPC 164LX and 164SX. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2004-April.mbox#L2335|"Second IDE port not working on PC164"]], Jay Estabrook, axp-list, 8 Apr 2004)] ==== Specifications ==== * One 500 MHz 21264 CPU on the A264/500 [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2003-March.mbox#L3927|"Wanted: Force Flexor A264 (Eiger) IO cards"]], Marko Havu, comp.sys.dec, 18 Mar 2003)] with 2 MiB of cache [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2001-April.mbox#L11232|"RE: Request For Comment: Low-Cost Alpha Platform Suggestion"]], Kirk E., axp-list, 9 Apr 2001)] * A design "based around the DP264 except it has one p-chip" [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-December.mbox#L24522|"RE: Annoying Error"]], Iain Grant, axp-list, 13 Dec 1999)] * A separate I/O card carries the SROM, the PROM, the NVRAM, and other components needed to boot, so a CPU card alone does not work [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2003-March.mbox#L3927|"Wanted: Force Flexor A264 (Eiger) IO cards"]], Marko Havu, comp.sys.dec, 18 Mar 2003)] * Cypress 693 IDE controller, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-November.mbox#L140|"Re: poor 164SX IDE drive performance, dma enabled"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 2 Nov 2002)] and an onboard USB port [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2001-November.mbox#L727|"RH7.0 Install Works; RH7.1 Install Fails"]], Karl, comp.os.linux.alpha, 30 Nov 2001)] * Sold with backplanes such as a seven-slot, 64-bit PCI backplane, with up to four PCI-to-PCI bridges on the backplane [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2002-October.mbox#L7334|"What would it be worth?"]], Marc Schlensog, comp.sys.dec, 11 Oct 2002)] [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c?h=v7.3-rc1|arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c]], Linux 7.3)] The kernel reads a register at I/O port 0x502 to learn how many bridges the backplane has, from 0 to 4, and treats bridges in the highest slots as built in. [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c?h=v7.3-rc1|arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c]], Linux 7.3)] The SRM console assigns the interrupts of option cards; Linux reads each card's interrupt line register and subtracts 0x80. [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c?h=v7.3-rc1|arch/alpha/kernel/sys_eiger.c]], Linux 7.3)] The kernel's HWRPB system type is 37, [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/alpha/include/asm/hwrpb.h?h=v7.3-rc1|arch/alpha/include/asm/hwrpb.h]], Linux 7.3)] and Tru64 UNIX lists it as "DMCC_EV6 EV6 Eiger DMCC passive bacplane system". [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/tru64-unix-managers-mbox/gmane-2003-June.mbox#L7396|"SUMMANY: Problem finding number of CPUs online"]], Dr. David Kirkby, tru64-unix-managers, 9 Jun 2003)] ==== Firmware ==== The console reports itself as "FORCE 21264 Alpha PCI/ISA SBC Console V5.7-2 built May 16 2001", [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2001-November.mbox#L727|"RH7.0 Install Works; RH7.1 Install Fails"]], Karl, comp.os.linux.alpha, 30 Nov 2001)] and an SMARTengine board of 2000 ran "SMARTengine/Alpha 21264 PCI/ISA SBC console v5.6-6903", which printed "ERROR: ISA table corrupt!" at boot; the owner's attempt to clear it by running ''init'' failed. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2000-November.mbox#L32683|"ERROR: ISA table corrupt!"]], Ford Prefect, axp-list, 17 Nov 2000)] The board also runs AlphaBIOS. Force told one owner that SRM could not see devices behind a PCI-to-PCI bridge, and his board halted at "E7" until then. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2005-December.mbox#L7551|"Re: Decent alpha system for OpenVMS newbie"]], Marc Schlensog, comp.sys.dec, 1 Dec 2005)] ==== Linux ==== Linux supports the Eiger with ''CONFIG_ALPHA_EIGER'' or a generic kernel, which selects the Eiger machine vector; [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2001-November.mbox#L727|"RH7.0 Install Works; RH7.1 Install Fails"]], Karl, comp.os.linux.alpha, 30 Nov 2001)] it boots from SRM with aboot. The option builds the Tsunami code and, like the DP264, offers an EV67 setting. [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/alpha/Kconfig?h=v7.3-rc1|arch/alpha/Kconfig]], Linux 7.3)] No report of a current kernel on an Eiger has been found; the last is a 4.19 release candidate in 2018. * An engineer at SMART Modular added Eiger to the kernel, first as local changes to 2.2.13 [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-December.mbox#L24296|"Annoying Error"]], Iain Grant, axp-list, 13 Dec 1999)] and then in the 2.2.14 release, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2000-January.mbox#L4792|"Kernel 2.2.14, UP2000 sucess"]], Thomas Weyergraf, axp-list, 6 Jan 2000)] where Rich Payne identified it as one of the SMART Modular machines. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2000-January.mbox#L4969|"Re: Kernel 2.2.14, UP2000 sucess"]], Rich Payne, axp-list, 6 Jan 2000)] The 2.4.0 configuration help named it "SMARTEngine SBC models". [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2000-November.mbox#L3174|"Re: linux-2.4.0-test10 compiling errors"]], Christopher C. Chimelis, axp-list, 2 Nov 2000)] * Debian's installer manual for sarge listed the SMARTengine 21264 PCI/ISA SBC under the Tsunami subarchitecture, with no MILO. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2004-November.mbox#L1252|"Sanity checking needed of Alpha subarch codenames in d-i manual"]], Steve Langasek, debian-alpha, 7 Nov 2004)] * Red Hat 7.0 installed on a 512 MiB board with an onboard USB port, using a serial console. Red Hat 7.1 panicked at boot. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2001-November.mbox#L727|"RH7.0 Install Works; RH7.1 Install Fails"]], Karl, comp.os.linux.alpha, 30 Nov 2001)] * Tru64 UNIX 5.1B installed on an A264/500. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/tru64-unix-managers-mbox/gmane-2003-March.mbox#L16392|"5.1B non-commercial license problems"]], Marc Schlensog, tru64-unix-managers, 17 Mar 2003)] * An LSI 875 SCSI controller on 2.2.20 reached about 20 MB/s per disk, but a four-disk software RAID 0 gave only 32 to 33 MB/s. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2002-October.mbox#L7278|"Slow on SoftRAID-0"]], Marc Schlensog, comp.os.linux.alpha, 15 Oct 2002)] ==== Known issues ==== * **IRQ table size:** the Eiger vector allows 128 interrupts, but from at least Linux 3.18 the kernel was built with only 64, and the Symbios SCSI controller could not get its interrupts (a working 2.6.26 boot gave it IRQs 64 and 65). Meelis Roos fixed this so that 4.19-rc7 booted on a Force Flexor A264. [(>[[https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/c/bfc913682464|"alpha: Fix Eiger NR_IRQS to 128"]], Meelis Roos, 12 Oct 2018)] * **2.4 kernel panic:** in 2002 Linux 2.4.18 and 2.4.20 panicked at boot with "Unable to handle kernel paging request", while 2.2.16, 2.2.20, and 2.2.22 ran. Building with gcc 3.2 did not help. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2002-October.mbox#L7278|"Slow on SoftRAID-0"]], Marc Schlensog, comp.os.linux.alpha, 15 Oct 2002)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-December.mbox#L16661|"Kernel 2.4.x panics on Eiger system"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 27 Dec 2002)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2003-January.mbox#L2498|"Re: Kernel 2.4.x panics on Eiger system"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 9 Jan 2003)] The reporter found no other Eiger owner running Linux. The 2018 fix above may bear on it, but no report ties the two together. * **Video cards:** on a 2.2.16 kernel, programs that take control of the graphics card (X, SVGATextMode, vgalib) were denied permission with a Matrox Millennium, a Diamond FireGL 1000pro, an ELSA Synergy, and an ELSA Gloria L/M, and the framebuffer did not work. No answer was posted. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2002-October.mbox#L7653|"Can't get graphics to work"]], Marc Schlensog, comp.os.linux.alpha, 1 Oct 2002)] * **PCI sound card interrupts:** an Ensoniq ES1370 in any slot tried to use "irq 4294967168", which is 2^32 minus 128, and failed to load; an ISA Sound Blaster clone worked. Jay Estabrook suspected either the Eiger support or the ES1370 driver, and added that the ES1370 has DMA problems on Alpha. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-November.mbox#L13750|"ES1370 AudioPCI on Eiger"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 27 Nov 2002)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-November.mbox#L13935|"Re: ES1370 AudioPCI on Eiger"]], Jay Estabrook, debian-alpha, 27 Nov 2002)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-November.mbox#L14470|"Re: ES1370 AudioPCI on Eiger"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 28 Nov 2002)] That value is the result ''eiger_map_irq'' would give for a card whose interrupt line register held 0, since it subtracts 0x80. * **IDE speed:** the onboard IDE ran at about 3 MB/s. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2002-November.mbox#L140|"Re: poor 164SX IDE drive performance, dma enabled"]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 2 Nov 2002)] * **Missing I/O card:** CPU cards were sold separately from their I/O cards, and a CPU card without one cannot boot. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-sys-dec-mbox/googlegroups-2003-March.mbox#L3927|"Wanted: Force Flexor A264 (Eiger) IO cards"]], Marko Havu, comp.sys.dec, 18 Mar 2003)] ==== History ==== SMART Modular announced a "third generation" 21264 PCI/ISA single board computer in October 1999, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-October.mbox#L6887|"RE: Enter IEEE 1275, OpenBoot firmware console RE: SRM multi OS'es"]], Eric Ebinger, axp-list, 6 Oct 1999)] the same month that its engineer said he wanted to build the Eiger into the kernel source tree. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-October.mbox#L50256|"map_irq"]], Iain Grant, axp-list, 28 Oct 1999)] Compaq sold the OEM group to SMART Modular in July 1999, and Solectron bought SMART Modular and Force Computers within weeks of each other, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-October.mbox#L12376|"Re: Enter IEEE 1275, OpenBoot firmware console RE: SRM multi OS'es"]], Mike Breen, axp-list, 9 Oct 1999)] and by November 2000 the line belonged to Force Computers, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2000-November.mbox#L35742|"Re: SBC Alphas"]], Richard June, axp-list, 20 Nov 2000)] which sold the A264/500 with 500 MHz and 2 MiB of cache. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/2001-April.mbox#L11232|"RE: Request For Comment: Low-Cost Alpha Platform Suggestion"]], Kirk E., axp-list, 9 Apr 2001)] Boards reached the secondary market by 2002, one at about 70 US dollars, [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/comp-os-linux-alpha-mbox/googlegroups-2002-August.mbox#L7107|"Re: IDE on Tsunami"]], Heike Teschner, comp.os.linux.alpha, 15 Aug 2002)] and a complete A264/500 system on a seven-slot backplane with 1 GiB of memory was offered for sale in 2003. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2003-July.mbox#L222|"Alpha EV6 for sale."]], Marc Schlensog, debian-alpha, 2 Jul 2003)] ==== Documentation ==== ^ Document ^ Part number ^ Date ^ {{tag>hardware motherboard 21264 digital}}