Hi, On Sat, Jun 22, 2002 at 11:03:18PM +0200, Oleg Kobets wrote: > OK. > > First thanks for the replies. I want to clarify that I am not the legal > owner > (ie. never BOUGHT it) of this Alpha. I got it from a friend that got it from > ..? > > Therefore I am not aligible to Compaq support. (Already spoke with them)
But I think you _can_ buy a "hobbyist's license" for Tru64 for a small fee (not very small though - I think $100). > > And I really wanna replace my server with this baby. > 266Mhz Alpha = ~700Mhz PC This, of course, depends on your application. There are types of computations for which a 266Mhz Alpha will be slower than even a 266Mhz Pentium II. > > The only trouble is, I have no idea how to install the OS. I mean, ARC (the > alpha bios) gives me the option to install NT and that's it. I don't know > how to boot from cdrom, therefore I can't install Linux/Unix on it. > > Anyone ideas ? There are many possible starting points, but I hope all you need is 'Installing Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 For Alpha' at <ftp://ftp.debian.org:/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-alpha/current/doc> (but do try to find a mirror - note that not all mirrors mirror alpha). If you do search and read a bit and do not even manage to boot linux somehow (you might try floppy or ethernet if CD doesn't work), do ask on the list, or on some debian-alpha list. It can be tricky. BTW: An Alpha does not automatically arrive with a Unix license. It can come with NT or VMS (and a combination - even Dual-booting) too. I am almost sure, though, that you can't purchase an alpha without some license, so the original owner might be able to give you the license. You might even play a bit with VMS. From the Jargon File: "VMS /V-M-S/ n. {DEC}'s proprietary operating system for its VAX minicomputer; one of the seven or so environments that loom largest in hacker folklore. Many Unix fans generously concede that VMS would probably be the hacker's favorite commercial OS if Unix didn't exist; though true, this makes VMS fans furious. ..." If you are a real OS fan, you can also try hurd (<http://hurd-alpha.sourceforge.net/>; I haven't tried) and netbsd (<http://www.netbsd.org/Ports/alpha/>; also haven't tried this one). Also note, that Alpha, however well-engineered, is dying. VMS will be ported (is being ported?) to Itanium, and Tru64 Unix will probably be replaced with Linux or unified with HP/UX. Those who like the architecture might want to read the very nice comparison to f-cpu at <http://www.f-cpu.org/alpha_vs_f-cpu.txt>. Anyway, enjoy playing. Didi > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Orna Agmon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Oleg Kobets" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2002 5:59 PM > Subject: Re: Alpha XL 266 > > > > i dont have experiance, but i know that soon OSF1 will not be supported, > > and compaq are now supporting linux on alpha servers. > > why do you want this alpha anyway? just to play with it? > > and why not install the OSF1 which should come with it? > > > > On Sat, 22 Jun 2002, Oleg Kobets wrote: > > > > > Hi, List! > > > > > > I laid my hands on Alpha XL 266 today. > > > > > > What I want to know if there is a posibility to install linux on it and > if yes, which distro. > > > > > > The machine specs are : > > > > > > 266Mhz Alpha CPU > > > 128 RAM > > > Unknown SCSI HDD > > > SCSI CDROM > > > Matrox Millenium II Dual Head > > > > > > Firmware 4.41 > > > > > > Now, I never worked with Alpha, but I want to install Linux on it, NOT > NT4. > > > > > > If anyone had experience with it, please help. > > > --- > > > Oleg Kobets > > > Clean-Mail Administrator > > > I.T.S > > > www.clean-mail.net > > > > > > > -- > > Orna. | http://tx.technion.ac.il/~agmon > > > > There are only 10 types of people in the world- > > Those who understand binary, and those who do not. > > > > > > > > ================================================================= > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command > echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
