SUMMARY: Adding CPUs

From: Rick Beebe <BEEBE_at_BIOMED.MED.YALE.EDU>
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 15:45:33 -0500 (EST)

Thanks for the fast responses. I've included them below. My original
message:

-----------------
I'm about to take the 4/275 CPU out of an Alphaserver 2100 and replace it
with 3 5/300 CPUs. The box is currently running DU 3.2c. Do I need to
rebuild the kernel or will it automagically work? I notice that
'processors' in the kernel conf file is set to 16.

Is there anything else I need to watch out for? I will be upgrading the box
to DU 4.0d but unfortuanately, I have to do the CPU upgrade first.
-----------------

The consensus is that I do have to rebuild the kernel. I also have to get
SMP licenses and I have to upgrade the firmware. I dug through the bottom
of the box the CPUs came in and there was a firmware upgrade kit and a
license for each CPU. So, hopefully I'm all set--except for a long Sunday,
of course. Thanks for the help. Y'all are great.

  _______________________________________________________________________

    Rick Beebe (203) 785-4566
    Network Engineering Manager FAX: (203) 737-4037
    ITS-Med Technology Operations Richard.Beebe_at_yale.edu
    Yale University School of Medicine
    P.O. Box 208089, New Haven, CT 06520-8089
  _______________________________________________________________________

Responses:
----------------------------
From: Sheila Hollenbaugh <shollen_at_valhalla.cs.wright.edu>

If you do not have an SMP license for the machine, you will have to get one.
 We want to do the same thing with an old DEC 4000 machine, and the cost
_per_added_CPU was $4610 less 38% academic discount. That was true even though
we had base licenses which would allow us to operate all the CPUs in separate
cabinets. (We were not very happy about that.)

----------------------------
From: alan_at_nabeth.cxo.dec.com

        CPU support for the EV5 (5/clock) CPU is almost certainly
        different than support for the EV4 (4/clock). Looking at
        the GENERIC configuration file from a V4.0D system there
        are three 2100 looking lines:

                cpu "DEC2100_A500"
                cpu "DEC2100_C500"
                cpu "DEC2100_A50"

        One of these is probably appropriate for a system using
        EV5 CPUs. You can either:

        o Add all three, build the kernel, copy to the root,
           shutdown, add the CPUs, boot and hope it works.

        o Shutdown, add the CPUs, boot the generic kernel, build
           a new kernel, copy it to the root and reboot.

        Either way, you probably need to build a new kernel.

--------------------------
From: Mervyn Weis <Mervyn.Weis_at_digital.com>

You will have to rebuild the kernel. Typically, I always start out by
booting with genvmunix and then rebuilding the new kernel on top of this. I
don't believe there are any additional parameters that need to be added to
the configuration file. However, and perhaps of more importance, you will
probably need to add additional licenses for SMP upgrades. I would make sure
that these licenses are available and installed when performing the CPU
upgrade.

------------------------
From: "Degerness, Mandell ITSD:EX" <Mandell.Degerness_at_gems2.gov.bc.ca>

Yes, you will have to do a kernel rebuild. The processor type is part
of the config file. Also, check the firmware versions. I know, a
couple of years ago, when Digital leant us a 5/300 CPU because we
couldn't get the SMP working on 3.2D, we had to upgrade the system
firmware when putting the new CPU in and downgrade when going back to
the 4/275. You will also need the SMP licences installed for the 2nd
and 3rd CPU's to do anything.

------------------------
From: "John P . Speno" <speno_at_isc.upenn.edu>

Make sure you get the instructions. There are many steps, including doing
special things with the firmware.

Basically, you have EV4 firmware loaded now, but you'll have to put in EV5
firmware just before you swap the CPU boards.

And Yes, you will need to rebuild your kernel.

boot -file /genvmunix

and when you use doconfig, give the system a new name or first blow away the
existing kernel directory in /sys/conf.

The docs are on the web someplace, part number EK-KN470-IN.B01.

good luck.

--------------------------
From: Randy Rodgers <rrodgers_at_ci.ft-wayne.in.us>

I replaced 1 4/200 CPU with 1 5/300 CPU in an AlphaServer 2100 last year.
You have to upgrade the firmware when you do this. I found the instructions
in "Appendix H Upgrading an AlphaServer from a Model 4/2xx to a Model 5/250"
of the "AlphaServer 2x00,2x00A Loadable Firmware Update Utility User Guide
and Release Notes" that can be found on the Firmware CD. I was running
Digital UNIX 3.2G at the time. I also had to build a new kernel. The CPU
parameter in the configuration file changed to reflect the new CPU type. If
you require any more details let me know.
Received on Thu Apr 30 1998 - 21:59:56 NZST

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