Subject: Re: Most perverted DEC system: DECsystem 5500
To: Michael Kukat <michael@unixiron.org>
From: Simon Burge <simonb@wasabisystems.com>
List: port-vax
Date: 10/30/2002 21:45:57
[removed port-alpha, added port-pmax]

So a DECsystem 5500 is really some model Vax (I know ~nothing about
vaxen) with its Vax CPU board ripped out and a MIPS CPU board put in
its place.  The 5500 is a "Mipsfair II" and I believe there is a Vax
"Mayfair II" - so that's a 3300 or a 3400?.  There's some info at
http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/pmax/models.html#ds5500.

These do indeed run Ultrix just fine; we had them running Ultrix
4.5 at my old job.  As to running Vax code...  Maybe the console
processor thingy (see, I don't know vaxen ;-) makes it look like a Vax
or something, but the R3000 definitely doesn't run Vax code.

I have four of these sitting in a cabinet in the garage.  I just need
to find some spare time to get back to working on the port to them.
Looking back, I got as far as:

	>> boot -f tftp() -s
	Text size = 1883760
	Text start = 0x80030000
	+77488+428188 entry: 0x80030000
	No driver for console device, using prom for console I/O.
	Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
	    The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.  All rights reserved.
	Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
	    The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.

	NetBSD 1.4P (MONA) #365: Wed Dec  1 15:33:48 EST 1999
	    simonb@mona:/NetBSD/src/sys/arch/pmax/compile/MONA
	DECsystem 5500 (MIPSFAIR-2)
	total memory = 98304 KB
	avail memory = 88232 KB
	using 1254 buffers containing 5016 KB of memory
	mainbus0 (root)
	cpu0 at mainbus0
	cpu0: MIPS R3000 CPU Rev. 3.0 with MIPS R3010 FPC Rev. 3.0 
	cpu0: 64KB Instruction, 64KB Data, direct mapped cache
	ibus0 at mainbus0
	ne at ibus0 addr 0x10008000 not configured
	asc at ibus0 addr 0x17100000 not configured
	<hang>

nearly 4 years ago.

If you want truly wierd, I'd look at the DECsystem 58x0's instead.  SMP
using R3000's, based on a Vax 6000/300.

Simon.
--
Simon Burge                                   <simonb@wasabisystems.com>
NetBSD Development, Support and Service:   http://www.wasabisystems.com/