From owner-freebsd-platforms Fri Dec 19 13:52:00 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id NAA21973 for platforms-outgoing; Fri, 19 Dec 1997 13:52:00 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-platforms) Received: from smtp04.primenet.com (smtp04.primenet.com [206.165.6.134]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id NAA21942 for ; Fri, 19 Dec 1997 13:51:46 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from tlambert@usr05.primenet.com) Received: (from daemon@localhost) by smtp04.primenet.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) id OAA24991; Fri, 19 Dec 1997 14:51:41 -0700 (MST) Received: from usr05.primenet.com(206.165.6.205) via SMTP by smtp04.primenet.com, id smtpd024930; Fri Dec 19 14:51:32 1997 Received: (from tlambert@localhost) by usr05.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id OAA16996; Fri, 19 Dec 1997 14:51:27 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert Message-Id: <199712192151.OAA16996@usr05.primenet.com> Subject: Re: DEC Alpha XL 366, can it run BSD? To: matt@3am-software.com (Matt Thomas) Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 21:51:27 +0000 (GMT) Cc: tsprad@Metronet.com, port-alpha@netbsd.org, misc@openbsd.org, freebsd-platforms@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19971219051221.00a0b250@ranier.altavista-software.com> from "Matt Thomas" at Dec 19, 97 05:12:21 am X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23] Content-Type: text Sender: owner-freebsd-platforms@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk > >I just found out I'm going to have a happy Christmas indeed. My > >wife was playing at an internet auction and accidentally bought a > >Digital XL 366 Alpha, model no. SN-A23AA. > > > >Unfortunately, it comes with (gag!) WinNT. Please, tell me I can > >install BSD on this thing without being a certified kernel hacker. > > Nope. You can't. The XL doesn't have an SRM console available for it and > NetBSD needs an SRM console. One of the baseline requirements for the FreeBSD Alpha port was supposed to be the ability to run on an ARC console. There are a couple of things that FreeBSD wants to do that the ARC console doesn't support very well. I think initially, the support will be for SRM, though... Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.