> I just got for free a Digital Server 5000 series model
> 5305.

Fun machine.  Unfortunately, I didn't get mine for free.
And I had to add memory to boot...

> In looking around for a free OS that I could
> install, it seems as if NetBSD is the best option for
> the alpha platform.

That was my conclusion as well.  Though I did boot the
Gentoo Alpha distro of Linux at one point.  My preference
was for NetBSD and that's what's been running for about
a year and a half on it.

> 1. I can't find my alpha server listed in any of the
> lists that mention compatable hardware. Does this mean
> that not even NetBSD will work on this machine?

It does indeed work.  As far as NetBSD compatibility
is concerned, it's really an AlphaServer 1200.  The 5000
series was the "NT-only" version, but it still has SRM
and will happily boot NetBSD.

> 2. It asks for Windows NT at boot, so I'm assuming
> this is a bios issue.

It actually has both AlphaBIOS (used for NT) and SRM
(used for VMS and Unix) in flash.  You'll need to switch
to SRM.  You can get into SRM the first time by pressing
and holding the reset button and after 5 seconds pressing
the halt button, then release them both.  It will reboot into
SRM.  From there, you can set an environment variable
to say you want to run Unix and SRM will be the monitor
you boot into from then on.  The variable you want to set
is called os_type.

> about the SRM Console on www.alphalinux.org. It
> mentioned that I need to upgrad the SRM firmware
> before attempting to install. Is this true?

I did, but I'm not actually sure how necessary it is.  It
probably depends on what version you have already.

> Are there
> different steps that I need to follow to install
> NetBSD and using the SRM Console?

I just followed the instructions that came with the
file I downloaded.

> 3. It has a floppy drive and a CD-ROM drive, so can I
> use the CD-ROM image to install NetBSD like I do when
> I install Ubuntu Linux on an i386?

As I recall, I ended up booting from floppy and installing
that way.  That brings up another little issue I have.  The
SCSI controller I have is known by AlphaBIOS but not SRM.
Consequently, I can't boot directly off the SCSI drives.  For
now, I boot from floppy on those rare occasions I shut
it down and reboot it.  I keep going back and forth about
getting another SCSI card and setting up a net boot scenario.
Since I almost never shut it down, it never seems pressing
enough to resolve.

> 4. Does anyone know if X11 works on this model alpha?

I haven't gotten it running, but I put much effort into it either.
I rarely use it at the console.  I'm normally connected to it
over the network.

Good luck.  I think you'll be happy with it.

BLS