Motherboards
Table of Contents
Digital, Samsung, and Alpha Processor, Inc. (API) sold Alpha motherboards, both as evaluation boards for designers and as OEM boards for system integrators. Each board has its own page, listed in the table below. Complete systems are under Systems, and the core logic on each board is described on the Chipsets page.
| Motherboard | CPU | Memory | Chipset | Cache | PCI | AGP | ISA | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Frequency | Type | Max memory | 64-bit | 32-bit | |||||
| EB64 | 21064/EV4 | 150 MHz | FPM Parity | 64 MiB | None | 128 - 512 KiB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| EB64+ | 21064/EV4, 21064A/EV45 | 150 - 275 MHz | FPM Parity | 512 MiB | 21072 | 512 KiB - 2 MiB | 0 | 2 (1 shared) | 0 | 3 (1 shared) |
| EB66 | 21066/LCA4 | 166 MHz | unknown | unknown | None (integrated in CPU) | 256 KiB | 0 | 2 (1 shared) | 0 | 3 (1 shared) |
| EB66+ | 21066A/LCA45 | 233 MHz | FPM Parity (ECC) | 384 MiB | None (integrated in CPU) | 256 KiB - 1 MiB | 0 | 4 (1 shared) | 0 | 5 (1 shared) |
| AXPpci 33 | 21066/LCA4, 21066A/LCA45, 21068, 21068A | 66 - 233 MHz | FPM ECC | 256 MiB | None (integrated in CPU) | 0, 256 KiB, 1 MiB | 0 | 3 (1 shared) | 0 | 5 (1 shared) |
| AlphaPC 64 | 21064A/EV45 | 200, 233, 275 MHz | FPM Parity | 512 MiB | 21072 | 512 KiB - 8 MiB | 0 | 4 (1 shared) | 0 | 3 (1 shared) |
| EB164 | 21164/EV5 | 266, 300, 333 MHz | FPM Parity (ECC) | 512 MiB | 21171 | 2 - 8 MiB | 2 (1 shared) | 2 | 0 | 3 (1 shared) |
| AlphaPC 164 | 21164A/EV56 | 366 - 500 MHz | FPM Parity (ECC) | 512 MiB | 21172 | 1 MiB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| AlphaPC 164LX | 21164A/EV56 | 466, 533, 600 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 1024 MiB | 21174 | 2, 4 MiB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| AlphaPC 164SX | 21164PC/PCA56 | 400, 533 MHz | SDRAM (ECC optional) | 1024 MiB | 21174 | 1 MiB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| AlphaPC 164UX, AlphaPC 164BX | 21164A/EV56 | 466, 533, 600 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 1536 MiB | 21174 | 2, 4 MiB | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| AlphaPC 164RX | 21164PC/PCA57 | 525, 600 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 512 MiB | VLSI Polaris | 1 MiB | 0 | 5 (1 shared) | 0 | 1 (shared) |
| AlphaPC 264DP | 21264/EV6, 21264A/EV67 | 500, 667 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 4096 MiB | 21272 | 2, 4 MiB | 6 (1 shared) | 0 | 0 | 1 (shared) |
| UP1000 | 21264A/EV67 | 600, 700 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 768 MiB | AMD-751 | 2, 4 MiB | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| UP1100 | 21264A/EV67 | 600 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 768 MiB | AMD-751 | 2 MiB | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| UP1500 | 21264B/EV68 | 800 MHz | ECC DDR SDRAM | 4096 MiB | AMD-761 | 2 - 8 MiB | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| UP2000 | 21264A/EV67 | 667, 750 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 2048 MiB | 21272 | 2 - 8 MiB | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| UP2000+ | 21264A/EV67, 21264B/EV68 | 667, 750, 833 MHz | ECC SDRAM | 2048 MiB | 21272 | 2 - 8 MiB | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Form factor, firmware, and Linux
All boards also have PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports. The firmware column lists the consoles available for each board, with the last SRM version where it is known; "or" marks boards whose flash holds only one console at a time.
Boards with EV4, EV45, LCA, or EV5 processors are not supported by Linux 6.10 or later, which requires an EV56 (21164A) or later processor; Linux 6.9 was the last version to support them. 1) The current kernel column uses these values:
- Supported: current kernels support the board.
- Untested: the support code is in current kernels, but no one has reported booting a current kernel, or there is a specific doubt, such as a board that only MILO can boot.
- Linux 6.9 and earlier: the board has a processor older than the EV56 (21164A).
- Removed in year: support was removed before Linux 6.10 for another reason.
- Never: Linux never supported the board.
The AlphaPC 164UX and 164RX can only boot Linux through MILO.
Details and sources are on each board's page.
| Motherboard | Form factor | Onboard I/O | Firmware | Current kernel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB64 | unknown | Am79C960 Ethernet, floppy, 2 serial, keyboard, mouse | Debug monitor, SRM | Removed in 1995 |
| EB64+ | Full-size AT | NCR 53C810 SCSI, 21040 Ethernet, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC 4.49-7, SRM, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| EB66 | Baby AT | NCR 53C810 SCSI, 21040 Ethernet, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC, SRM, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| EB66+ | Baby AT | IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | SRM, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| AXPpci 33 | Baby AT | NCR 53C810 SCSI, IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC, SRM, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| AlphaPC 64 | Baby AT | IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC 4.49-7, SRM 4.8, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| EB164 | Full-size AT | IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC, SRM 4.8, MILO | Linux 6.9 and earlier |
| AlphaPC 164 | ATX | CMD646 IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | ARC or SRM 5.6, MILO | Supported |
| AlphaPC 164LX | ATX | CMD646 IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | SRM 5.8 or AlphaBIOS, MILO | Supported |
| AlphaPC 164SX | ATX | Cypress IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | SRM 5.8 or AlphaBIOS, MILO | Supported |
| AlphaPC 164UX, 164BX | ATX | EIDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel; 21143 Ethernet and 53C875 SCSI on the UX | ARCSBIOS, MILO | Untested |
| AlphaPC 164RX | ATX | IDE, 10/100 Ethernet, floppy, 2 serial, parallel, 2 USB | AlphaBIOS, MILO | Untested |
| AlphaPC 264DP | 42.11 x 33.02 cm | AIC-7895 SCSI, IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel | SRM, AlphaBIOS | Supported |
| UP1000 | ATX | 2 IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel, 2 USB | SRM, AlphaBIOS | Supported |
| UP1100 | ATX | 2 IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel, 2 USB, 21143 Ethernet, sound | SRM | Supported |
| UP1500 | ATX | 2 IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel, 2 USB, 21143 Ethernet, sound | SRM 5.6-19 | Supported |
| UP2000, UP2000+ | Extended ATX | AIC-7891 SCSI, IDE, floppy, 2 serial, parallel, 2 USB | SRM A5.8-81, AlphaBIOS | Supported |
The EB64+, EB66+, EB164, AXPpci 33, and AlphaPC 64 keep the time in a Dallas DS1287 or DS1287A clock chip that contains a sealed lithium cell, so the whole chip is replaced when the cell is exhausted; the AlphaPC 164, 164LX, 164SX, and 264DP use a replaceable CR2032 coin cell. Details and sources are on each board's page; see also Systems: Common problems.
API NetWorks also announced the UP1700 and UP2700 for 2001, but neither was released.
Digital's VMEbus single-board computers are on the AXPvme and Alpha VME page.
See also Chipsets.
Documentation
These documents apply to Digital's Alpha evaluation boards and motherboards in general.
| Document | Part number | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha Microprocessors Motherboard Debug Monitor User's Guide | EC-QHUVG-TE | April 1999 |
| Alpha Microprocessors SROM Mini-Debugger User's Guide | EC-QHUXD-TE | April 1999 |
| Alpha Microprocessors Motherboard Software Design Tools User's Guide | EC-QHUWE-TE | April 1999 |
| Alpha SRM Console for Alpha Microprocessor Motherboards User's Guide | EC-QK8DF-TE | September 1997 |
| Alpha Microprocessors Motherboard Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 Installation Guide | EC-QLUAH-TE | October 1997 |
| Alpha Motherboards Software Developer's Kit Version 4.0 Product Brief | EC-QXQKD-TE | April 1999 |
| Alpha Motherboards Software Developer's Kit Read Me First | EC-QERSJ-TE | April 1999 |
| PALcode for Alpha Microprocessors System Design Guide | EC-QFGLC-TE | May 1996 |
| SPICE Models for Alpha Microprocessors: An Application Note | EC-QA4XG-TE | March 1997 |