> Machine           Resolution      HSync      Supp?  Probed As
> DS2100 mono       1024x864        54 Hz      Y      pm*
> DS2100            1024x864        54 Hz      Y      pm*
> DS3100 mono       1024x864        54 Hz      Y      pm*
> DS3100            1024x864        54 Hz      Y      pm*
> 5000/xx (PMAG-DV) 1024x768        73 Hz      Y      xcfb*

comment: I've observed that a VR299 as well as VR290 will work on both a
CX card and a DS[23]100 (and a couple VS3100s i tried it with). They are
afaik the same frequency, 60Hz refresh. 

> However, X does not (yet) support it.

side note: Ultrix's X server does support it. 

> What keyboard/mouse sets does the DECstation 5000/xxx use?
> 
> These machines use ACCESS.bus; the connector on the back of the machine
> is a HD15 connector. This cable terminates into a block, where a FIXME
> keyboard and FIXME mouse can be plugged in.

Any VSXXX mouse will do, and at least LK[24]01 work. 

> 
> * Can someone check out these part numbers?
> * Is a mouse _required_?

not unless you want to use it. The self-tests will complain about the
mouse missing, but that doesnt keep the system from working fine. 

> Yes, there is.  :-)
> It causes a reset for the machine (drops it back into the PROM). 
> Ctrl-Alt-BS is the sequence, but remember this is like yanking 
> out the power cord..

is the RPOM different on these such that you can't return to whatever was
running? the console monitor shoudl be enterable and then returnable to
the running machine. the command should be continue or something. its been
a loong time since i used it, but aall other DECstations, VAXen, and SRM
alphas can do this! 

> * It works on mine running NetBSD, and did for some Ultrix boxes
> * at another local uni.. comments?

> My DECstation 2100 / 3100 doesn't see my SCSI tape drive.
> 
> The SCSI ID of the tape drive needs to be set to either 4 or 5 on
> these machines. They should probe as ``tz'' devices with a suitable
> kernel.
> 
> * This restriction doesn't hold for 5k machines, does it?

AFAIK, this is a NetBSD thing and not a DECstation thing. Under Ultrix
I've used tapes on all different ID's, though i keep any drives that have
to deal with NEtBSD on ID 5 because at least in NetBSD 1.2, i remember
something in a howto that indicated that tapes should always be on id 5
with nbsd. 

> The PROM has two environmental variables concerning the console settings:
> 
>   osconsole
>   console
> 
> For serial consoles, ``console'' needs to be set to the value ``s'' (and
> will be the default anyway, if no keyboard is connected).
> 
>   setenv console "s"
> 
> If a keyboard is connected and the console is still set to ``s'', the 
> serial terminal will take preference.
> 
> The ``osconsole'' variable is set automatically by the system, and can't
> be modified. 
> 
>   osconsole=x


osconsole CAN be modified. Even if the console is set to serial, if
osconsole is sset to graphics, Ultrix will read osconsole and use the
grafix console after autoconf. I dont know how NetBSD handles osconsole,
but you can set it to whatever you want. Typically, a * is a good thing to
set it to, which effectively causes whatver console's value is to be used
to osconsole as well. This is only from my observations with 5000/2xx,
i've not used maxine's. 

> What other TURBOChannel Cards/items are out there?
>   TURBOchannel extenders 
>   are there any TURBOchannel serial cards?

yes, PMAC-AA. However, it is exceedingly rare. I knoly know for sure of
one in existence, and have heard rumor of a second. The one is in Megan
Gentry's collection. 

>   FDDI cards

yes, DEFZA 

>   ..others?

There were numerous third-party TC options. Somewhere at DEC there was a
big postscript file from the Tri-Add program, which had collected (as of i
think 1993 or 1994) a list of TC options and the contact info for their
vendors. If nobody can findi t, i can post it here, i have a copy (it's
largish for posting to a mailing list though) 

> What speeds do the various model serial ports support?
>   [23]100 - 9600 or thereabouts?

they also do 19800 (not a typo- the oscillator in them can't divide to
make 19200) 

>   5000/xx - 38400?
>   5000/1xx - 
>   5000/2xx -

dunno about 5k1xx, but the machines with the z8530 UART can theoretically
do up to 230.4 kilobits/sec. There was a discussion about this maybe a
year ago. The 8530 machines, AFAIK , are only the 5000/2[468]0. The dz
machines can only do 38400 according to DEC documentation. Ultrix only
supports running the 8530's up to 38400 as well but i understand if you
fudge a different clock divider into the right register you can chnge
that. does anybody know where a detailed spec on the 5k2[468]0 is, a-la 
the postscript spec docs that exist for maxine, [23]100, and 5k200? 


hope this helps,
isildur