===== AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 (TurboLaser) ===== ^ AlphaServer 8200, 8400 ^^ ^ Codename | TurboLaser | ^ CPU | [[wp>Alpha_21164|21164]], [[wp>Alpha_21164#Alpha_21164A|21164A]] | ^ Processors | Up to 6 (8200), up to 12 (8400) | ^ Memory | Up to 12 GiB (8200), 28 GiB (8400) | ^ Buses | TLSB system bus; PCI, XMI (8400 only) | ^ Firmware | SRM (last V6.4), AlphaBIOS | ^ Kernel option | None | ^ Linux | Never | The AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 are the largest Alpha systems Digital built around the 21164, and they use the same system bus, processor modules, memory modules, and I/O port modules. [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}}, p. 1)] The 8200 is a 19-inch rackmount cabinet with single-phase power for office and laboratory use, while the 8400 uses the DEC 7000 cabinet with three-phase power for computer rooms. [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}}, p. 4)] The EV6 [[hardware:systems:gs140|AlphaServer GS60 and GS140]] are the same machines with 21264 CPUs. ==== Specifications ==== Except where noted, the following comes from the technical summary. [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}}, pp. 2, 4-5)] * TLSB system bus with a 40-bit command and address path and a separate 256-bit data path with 32 ECC bits, run synchronously at a submultiple of the CPU clock: 75 MHz with 300 MHz CPUs for 1.6 GB/s, and 87.4 MHz with 350 and 440 MHz CPUs for 1.87 GB/s * AlphaServer 8400: nine bus slots, up to six processor modules (12 CPUs), up to seven memory modules (28 GiB), up to three I/O modules (12 I/O buses), 1260 MB/s of I/O bandwidth * AlphaServer 8200: five bus slots, up to three processor modules (6 CPUs), up to three memory modules (12 GiB), up to three I/O modules, 945 MB/s of I/O bandwidth * Processor modules carry one or two [[wp>Alpha_21164|21164]] CPUs at 300 or 350 MHz, or two [[wp>Alpha_21164#Alpha_21164A|21164A]] CPUs at 440 MHz on the KN7CE module [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_system_technical_manual_supplement_cpu.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 System Technical Manual Supplement: CPU}}, title page)], each CPU with its own data and address path and a 4 MiB third-level cache on the module * The minimum configuration is one processor module, one memory module, and one I/O adapter * Memory modules of 128, 256, and 512 MiB and 1, 2, and 4 GiB, built from SIMMs; modules of 2 GiB and smaller interleave two ways onboard, the 4 GiB module four ways, and two to eight ways between modules * I/O connects through "hoses" to 12-slot PCI or, on the 8400 only, 12-slot XMI channels; the 8200 supports only PCI buses. [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_operations_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Operations Manual}}, pp. 1-2, 1-7)] * The KFTHA I/O port module drives external I/O buses; the KFTIA adds direct SCSI, two Ethernet ports, optional FDDI, and an optional 4 MiB Prestoserve * Multiple power regulators, optional battery backup, and an optional integrated uninterruptible power supply The 8200 uses the upper half of the 8400's slot numbering, so its CPU and memory modules sit in slots 8 and higher and its CPUs are numbered from 8, not 0. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/tru64-unix-managers-mbox/2001-April.mbox#L18821|"Summary: Why on AS 8200 the CPU number begin from 8 instead of 0"]], Iwan R Tamimi, tru64-unix-managers, 17 Apr 2001)] ==== Linux ==== Linux never supported the AlphaServer 8200 and 8400. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/debian-alpha-mbox/2003-September.mbox#L17415|"Re: AlphaServer GS140 (8400)"]], Jay Estabrook, debian-alpha, 23 Sep 2003)] NetBSD runs on them. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-March.mbox#L27651|"Re: AS 8400 (was: Re: Prices for AlphaLinux systems with 4-8GB RAM"]], Matthew Jacob, axp-list, 10 Mar 1999)] [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1997-June.mbox#L11094|"Re: AlphaServer 8400"]], Jay Estabrook, axp-list, 10 Jun 1997)] ==== History ==== Digital announced the 8200 and 8400 in April 1995 as the first systems built on the 300 MHz 21164. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/biz-digital-articles-mbox/googlegroups-1995-April.mbox#L1626|"AlphaServer 8400 5/300 Enterprise Server"]], Customer Update, biz.digital.articles, 17 Apr 1995)] A DEC 7000 could be upgraded to an 8400 in its cabinet by swapping the card cage and centerplane; even the SIMMs from its MS7AA-FA memory modules carried over. [(>{{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}}, p. 4)] A Linux port was started at NASA Ames but abandoned in favor of NetBSD. [(>[[https://github.com/alphalinux/mailing-list-archives/blob/main/axp-list-mbox/1999-March.mbox#L27651|"Re: AS 8400 (was: Re: Prices for AlphaLinux systems with 4-8GB RAM"]], Matthew Jacob, axp-list, 10 Mar 1999)] ==== Conflicting information ==== The following sources conflict with each other or with the account given above. They are listed here for further investigation. * **AlphaServer 8400 maximum CPUs** * {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_operations_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Operations Manual}}, March 1998, p. 1-7: "up to seven processor modules for a total of 14 CPUs" * {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}}, 1996, pp. 2, 5: "Up to 6 CPU modules, for a maximum of 12 CPUs" * {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_windows_nt_systems_catalog.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 Windows NT Systems}}, June 1999, p. 2.4: "maximum of four CPU modules (total of 8 CPUs)" ==== Documentation ==== ^ Document ^ Part number ^ Date ^ | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_operations_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Operations Manual}} | EK-T8030-OP.B01 | March 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_technical_summary.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Systems Technical Summary}} | | 1996 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_windows_nt_systems_catalog.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 Windows NT Systems and Options Catalog, V3.10}} | | June 1999 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_dec_7000_upgrades_catalog.pdf?linkonly|Compaq AlphaServer 8200/8400 and VAX/DEC 7000 Upgrades Systems and Options Catalog, V1.5}} | | June 1999 | | {{wiki:software:firmware:alphaserver_8200_8400_v6.4_firmware_release_notes.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 and AlphaServer 8400 Systems V6.4 Firmware Update Procedures and Release Notes}} | | December 2002 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_system_technical_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 System Technical Manual}} | EK-T8030-TM.A01 | May 1995 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_system_technical_manual_supplement_cpu.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 System Technical Manual Supplement: CPU}} | EK-T8030-TS.A01 | September 1996 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_system_technical_manual_supplement_memory.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 System Technical Manual Supplement: Memory}} | EK-MS7CC-TS.A01 | March 1997 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_service_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200/8400 Service Manual}} | EK-T8030-SV.A01 | May 1995 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_rm_installation_owners_guide.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 RM System Installation/Owner's Guide}} | EK-R8200-IN.A01 | September 1995 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_gs60_8200_installation_guide.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer GS60 and 8200 Installation Guide}} | EK-T8230-IN.B01 | October 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_to_8400_upgrade_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 to 8400 Upgrade Manual}} | EK-T8284-UI.A01 | December 1996 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_gs60_140_8200_8400_release_notes.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer GS60/140 and 8200/8400 Release Notes}} | EK-T8284-RN.G01 | November 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_gs60_140_8200_8400_operations_manual.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer GS60/140 and 8200/8400 Operations Manual}} | EK-T8030-OP.C01 | November 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_gs60_140_8200_8400_site_preparation_guide.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer GS60/140 and 8200/8400 Site Preparation Guide}} | EK-T8030-SP.B01 | 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_dwlpb_motherboard_installation_instructions.pdf?linkonly|AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 DWLPB Motherboard Installation Instructions}} | EK-DWLPB-MA.A01 | 1997 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8200_8400_cover_letter.pdf?linkonly|Cover Letter for DIGITAL AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 Systems}} | EK-APSVS-CL.A01 | June 1998 | | {{wiki:hardware:systems:alphaserver_8400:alphaserver_8400_data_sheet.pdf?linkonly|Compaq AlphaServer 8400 data sheet}} | | | {{tag>hardware system 21164 digital}}