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tunkaflux
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 76
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 Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 6:16 pm Post subject: Gentoo Linux + HyperSparc |
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Hi all,
I've got a SparcStation 20 and recently acquired 2 HyperSparc 180Mhz CPU's. Will gentoo be able to run on these cpu's in SMP mode? I've read on various webpages that the combination of HyperSparc and SMP is very tricky...
I've took out the old CPU's (dual 75Mhz SuperSparc) and tried to boot it, but it frooze after about 5 minutes :/
Any suggestions/remarks to get this combo working would be very helpfull  |
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ciaranm
Retired Dev
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Posts: 1719
Location: In Hiding
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| Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Hypersparc, eh? Send patches. |
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tunkaflux
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 6:31 am Post subject: |
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| ciaranm wrote: | | Hypersparc, eh? Send patches. |
So, not supported I guess? |
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nl0pvm
n00b
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 46
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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I run a sparcstation 20 with smp.
so it is possible indeed |
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tunkaflux
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| nl0pvm wrote: | I run a sparcstation 20 with smp.
so it is possible indeed |
I know that smp is possible with a SparcStation 20, in fact, mine has been running stable for a couple of months now with 2 SuperSparc CPU's.
But, it seems that there are problems with SMP + HyperSparc CPU's. |
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nl0pvm
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Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 46
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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There are some like:
1 Problems occured when using the "sandbox" option.
2 Unstable scsi driver, when doing high load file operations (copying from disk to disk)
And the unstable scsi driver is probably only the driver and has nothing to do with the smp option.
grtz
Peter |
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tunkaflux
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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| nl0pvm wrote: | There are some like:
1 Problems occured when using the "sandbox" option.
2 Unstable scsi driver, when doing high load file operations (copying from disk to disk)
And the unstable scsi driver is probably only the driver and has nothing to do with the smp option. |
This has nothing to do with "sandbox" or the scsi driver... There are apparently bugs or support missing or whatever in the Linux kernel which prohibit it from running stable on 2 or more HyperSparc CPU's. I just wanted to know whetherthe Gentoo/Sparc developers know about this and whether they have a possible workaround/solution... |
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GenTimJS
Guru
Joined: 03 May 2003
Posts: 406
Location: NH, USA
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| Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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I'm pretty sure the devs know.
The ross sparc chips have been marked in various forms of "kinda supported, sometimes" for years now.
Not sure if ross is even still around, or how OSS friendly they are with thier docs....
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-Tim Smith |
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Q2
n00b
Joined: 05 Jun 2002
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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The Ross Hypersparcs were just overclocked sparc10/20 chips - came off of TI fabs me thinks. I had a bunch of them and they were the best shot in the arm when Sparc was being really lame with floatingpoint and performance updates.
The 180s were the best of the lot. I had 150s and 200s too but the 180s were the best combination of speed/stability.
The old chip won't boot unless you replace the boot rom(s) on the motherboard. So stick with the Ross.
Its just a faster old slow sparc  enjoy it!
Can't say I've tried gentoo on an old hypersparc - but I still have the boxen in storage - give it a try and let me know how it works. email me if you have more old sparc questions.
Cya,
Dan
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Gentoo just Rocks! |
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tunkaflux
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:02 am Post subject: |
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| Q2 wrote: | The Ross Hypersparcs were just overclocked sparc10/20 chips - came off of TI fabs me thinks. I had a bunch of them and they were the best shot in the arm when Sparc was being really lame with floatingpoint and performance updates.
The 180s were the best of the lot. I had 150s and 200s too but the 180s were the best combination of speed/stability.
The old chip won't boot unless you replace the boot rom(s) on the motherboard. So stick with the Ross.
Its just a faster old slow sparc enjoy it!
Can't say I've tried gentoo on an old hypersparc - but I still have the boxen in storage - give it a try and let me know how it works. email me if you have more old sparc questions.
Cya,
Dan |
Well, it doesn't seem to work in SMP :/ |
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Q2
n00b
Joined: 05 Jun 2002
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 12:07 pm Post subject: Hypersparcs don't work in smp |
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The CPUIDs are different for starters. I'm not a kernel programmer - but I'd talk to the sparc programmers regarding the SMP failure on these guys. If you do - and make progress let me know. If you need parts - let me know. If a kernel programmer wants a 10 or 20 with Rosses in it let me know....
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ciaranm
Retired Dev
Joined: 19 Jul 2003
Posts: 1719
Location: In Hiding
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 12:12 pm Post subject: Re: Hypersparcs don't work in smp |
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| Q2 wrote: | | The CPUIDs are different for starters. I'm not a kernel programmer - but I'd talk to the sparc programmers regarding the SMP failure on these guys. If you do - and make progress let me know. If you need parts - let me know. If a kernel programmer wants a 10 or 20 with Rosses in it let me know.... |
There's no shortage of hardware. The problem is the time and the inclination. On those rare occasions when I get around to doing kernel things, there're far more interesting things to care about than hypersparcs -- I'm pretty sure most others feel the same way. |
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mjensen42
n00b
Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 23
Location: Austin, TX
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| Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:11 pm Post subject: Glad I found this thread before upgrading! |
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I just brought an old ss20 back from the dead by putting Gentoo on it. And I was thinking about spending $50 on eBay to pick up a couple of 200MHz Ross hyperSPARC boards and making a SMP system. After reading this tread, well, I guess I won't bother. Too bad, really -- I rather enjoy making old hardware dance with Linux, but it sounds like there is no hope at all for SMP on hyperSPARCs.
Hm. How about SMP between different types of CPUs? I could put a hyperSPARC in one slot, and a superSPARC in another -- or is that too sick? |
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Gentoo on Sparc
