[HECnet] VMS on zx6000 - argh?

[Kari Uusim ki]

On 8.7.2011 13:52, Mark Wickens wrote:
On 08/07/11 11:42, Kari Uusim  ki wrote:
On 8.7.2011 12:58, Mark Wickens wrote:
On 08/07/11 10:56, Kari Uusim  ki wrote:
On 8.7.2011 12:51, Mark Benson wrote:

On 8 Jul 2011, at 10:38, Kari Uusim  ki wrote:

If you have a MP card on a Integrity server (or workstation) and
need _only_ the (local) console function, you can use a regular
25-pin null modem cable to access the console functions and of
course the other MP functions as well. The 25-pin interface is wired
so that the console uses the standard pins (2,3 and 7).

Of course you can use the LAN console functions provided with the MP
card. In some cases only the MP serial interface will be accessible
and usable.

The MP card is otherwise useful also. E.g. if the machine crashes,
you'll be able to check the logs for what has happened or if the
machine is completely jammed, you can reset it remotely.

I've heard a few people say the Remote MP card doesn't work on the
zx6000 - It's gotta be a firmware setting somewhere as the zx6000 and
rx2600 are the same machine with different fas and a firmware switch
changed.



I have a zx6000 with the MP card and it functions exactly like on a
rx2600 or any other Integrity system.


Do you get a graphics display via the VGA port though? That's the bit
that I was under the impression was broken when putting the MP card in
the ZX6000. I've never got anything out of it, anyway...

Oh, yes, and I've put a 25pin to 9pin cable in the serial port and can
confirm it works nicely.

Regards, Mark.

.



I write directly to you now, because Johnny wanted to end the
discussion via the HECnet mailbox.

I found this note in the manual:

The graphics display port functionality on the HP Management
Processor Card is not supported on zx6000 workstations with an
AGP graphics card installed; all other HP Management Processor
Card functionality is supported.

That explains why the VGA port doesn't work if you have a graphics
card installed.

Regards,

Kari




Yes, I can confirm it doesn't work with a PCI ATI 7500 installed either.
I think it must be something to do with the configuration including the
AGP card cage, regardless of whether there is a graphics card installed
or not. I think I tried it without a card in aswell, no joy.

Regards, Mark.


.


I see. I haven't really made so much effort as to try the VGA port, because the graphics card was installed. If it hadn't been, most probably I would have done all possible research to get the VGA working. I remember reading something about the I/O definitions in EFI which affect the VGA port also, but since it is more than two years ago, I've forgot it.

I guess that the VGA port was more or less included for Linux or Windows use rather than for HP-UX or VMS.

I can see what I can find out about the VGA port and if there's any possibilities to use it with VMS. I really do doubt it, because the demand for VMS workstations has been next to nothing for years already and taken the VMS engineering efforts (in India) my doubts don't diminish. I talked to the people from the VMS Engineering last September when they were in Europe and even though they are friendly and nice, the message without words was that they only concentrate on brand new systems and do support on old systems only on demand basis.

In the case of zx6000, I assume it wasn't really meant to be a VMS workstation, but because the rx2600 is the same hardware except for the AGP slot, there wasn't a big effort to port an Ati Radeon 7500 driver (which existed already for Alpha) to make the zx6000 usable as a VMS workstation and then be added to the marketing material.


Regards,

Kari