Hi all,
I asked, whether anyone has experience with compatible 512 MB memory
modules for an AlphaServer 2100. Most people told me, that they don't
have problems with compatible memory (but unfortunately no experience with
512MB modules for 2100 boxes).
The detailed answer of William H. Magill tells his experience with a
compatible memory module.
Thank's to all who responded.
Gerhard
8< ------------------------------------------- >8
From: "William H. Magill" <magill_at_isc.upenn.edu>
To: gnolte_at_gwdg.de
Subject: Re: [Q] Experience with compatible memory for AlphaServer 2100
Resent-Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 20:46:29 +0200
Resent-From: gnolte_at_gwdg.de
Resent-To: gnolte_at_msfd12.gwdg.de
> We are looking for compatible memory for an AlphaServer 2100 5/250.
> We need a 512 MB memory module.
>
> If you are using compatible memory please tell me your experience, the
> producer, a distributor and the price.
Supposedly there are only three manufacturers of memory boards for the
2100s... Digital, Clearpoint and Camintonn.
Clearpoint has manufactured VAX memory boards for years.
According to rumors, Digital cannot produce sufficient quanitites of 2100
boards internally and had to outsource them... to Camintonn.
(I know that Digital did go to bid because Kingston declined to bid.
Kingston decided to stay in the SIMM/DIMMs market and avoid the board
issues. Camintonn was the winning bidder.)
Right at the moment we have a 2100 (4/233) with problems... It's a single
CPU rackmount which has 1 512meg "used" Digital Memory - MS451-CA instead
of -FA. (From Digital Financial Services - General Electric Capital Corp in
disguise.) When we got the pair of 2100s last fall it would have delayed
shipment by 3 months to purchase 512meg memory machines. 128meg machines
were readily available. The memory modules are "supposed" to be a rev level
below the correct rev for the 2100s. One of our 2 2100s is fine, the other
one has been generating random CPU exceptions which are supposedly single
bit errors.
We just (Friday 5/31) installed a second 512 meg module from Camintonn
(Educational pricing is about $10k less than Digital's Educational price).
Now I'm getting LOTS of CPU execptions... from 1 per week over the past 3
months to 1-2 per hour. Right at the moment Digital Support is trying to
determine what the errors "really are." Their first response was - it's
CPU1 that is failing...good trick when cpu0 is the only one in the box.
So I don't know if the Camintonn memory is good/bad or indifferent.
If bad, this would be "DOA" Dead on Arival, not a particluarly good sign.
And when we went to get prices about 6 weeks ago, they "were not shipping
yet." So I don't know how/if they were having manufacturing problems or
what.
Back on the pricing issue - also Digital only warrants their memory boards
for 1 year again - while the industry is lifetime "return to factory."
We have Kingston SIMMs for our Alpha Workstations and they ship new memory
next day air on a phone call. I don't know how Camintonn works, but I
assume it is the same way.
I've used Clearpoint since the 70s in various VAX boxes over the years.
(Since our first 780 back in the early 80s.)
Camintonn Corporation (Z-RAM)
22 Morgan
Irvine, CAQ 92718-2022
phone: 714/454-1500
fax : 714/830-4726
Clearpoint
25 Birch Street, Unit B41
Milford, MA 01757
508/473-6111
sales: 800/253-2778
fax 508/4730122
T.T.F.N.
William H. Magill
Information Services and Computing (ISC) University of Pennsylvania
Internet: magill_at_isc.upenn.edu magill_at_acm.org
magill_at_upenn.edu
http://pobox.upenn.edu/~magill/
8< ------------------------------------------- >8
--
Gerhard Nolte
Email: gnolte_at_gwdg.de Voice: +49-551-5176-716 Fax: +49-551-709-2704
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Stroemungsforschung, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
Received on Mon Jun 10 1996 - 13:39:38 NZST