dnl	$OpenBSD: prep,v 1.17 2002/06/30 16:36:55 miod Exp $
OpenBSD/MACHINE requires the SRM console.  Some alphas come with
the AlphaBIOS (also known as the ARC firmware on older machines) instead;
this is what Windows NT uses. It is fairly simple to replace the AlphaBIOS
with the SRM firmware.

Switching your MACHINE to SRM console:
    Recent machines (such as the Miata and later models) have enough flash
    rom space to carry both the AlphaBIOS and the SRM console.
    To switch to SRM from AlphaBIOS, do the following:
    - enter the AlphaBIOS setup upon startup
      (F2 key, or ^B from serial console)
    - choose "CMOS Setup" from the menu
    - select "Advanced CMOS Setup" (F6 key, or ^F from serial console)
    - change the "Console Selection" setting to "OpenVMS console (SRM)"
    - confirm your changes with F10 (or ^U) twice, then enter.
    - power-cycle your system for the changes to take effect.

    If you didn't find a "Console Selection" entry (for example on 164SX or
    164LX), your system can not hold both the AlphaBIOS and SRM console in
    flash, and you will have to upgrade your firmware.

    You can get replacement firmware either from a firmware update CD or via
    ftp from
	ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/
    Please refer to
	http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/readme.html
    for more information.

AXPpci33 Motherboard specific notes:
    The 1994 version of the OEM guide has an incorrect pinout
    for the serial ports.  The newer version from
    ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/DEC/axppci/design_guide.ps.Z
    has a corrected pinout (as well as more information than
    the 1994 edition).  Note that there are two flavors
    of PC serial connectors.  If you have the wrong kind,
    you won't get any output from the serial console.

Using the SRM console:
    This is not intended to be an exhaustive guide on using the
    SRM firmware console.  It should, however, give you enough
    information to boot OpenBSD/MACHINE.

    To see a list of devices connected to your alpha, you can
    use the "show device" command.  For booting the devices you
    are interested in are "dva0" (the floppy drive) and
    "dka*" (the disk drives).

    You can set ROM variables by saying "set VARIABLE VALUE".
    Some variables you will want to set:
	auto_action	Determines what happens when you turn power on,
			halt, or crash your machine.  Valid values
			{:-include-:} "halt", "boot", and "restart".
			Most users will want to set this to "boot".
	bootdef_dev	Default boot device (or list of devices).
	boot_file	Name of the kernel to boot.  If this variable is
			empty, "bsd" will be loaded.
	boot_osflags	Flags to pass to the kernel.
			IMPORTANT! For multiuser boot, this needs to be
			set to "a".
    To see a list of all variables on your machine use the "show"
    command with no arguments.

    You can bypass the boot_file and boot_osflags values from the command
    prompt, with the -fi (to override boot_file) and -fl (to override
    boot_osflags) options. For example,
	boot -fi bsd -fl ac dka0
    will boot the "bsd" kernel with the "ac" flags on dka0.


SRM console boot device restrictions:
    The SRM firmware on your system may or may not be able to boot from
    any disk controller you may install in your MACHINE.
    The built-in disk controllers on your MACHINE will always be supported,
    however on IDE-based machines, such as the EB164, 164SX and 164LX, as
    well as the low-end Personal Workstation (non-u models), you can plug
    an SCSI controller, and boot from it if it is recognized.

    Recent SRM releases for these machines will be able to boot from the
    following controllers:
	QLogic PCI SCSI controllers
	Symbios Logic (NCR) 53C8xx (but not on PC164)
	Adaptec AHA-[23]9[34]x[U][W] cards
    The following controllers are known not to be supported as boot devices
    by the SRM:
	Adaptec AHA-[23]9[34]xU2 cards

    Depending on your specific model, your mileage may vary, though.
    A more detailed, and perhaps more up-to-date, list is available at the
    following URL: http://www.pofo.de/alpha-boot


OpenBSD/MACHINE console device restrictions:
    On systems with no framebuffer supported, including all
    TURBOchannel-based machines, OpenBSD/MACHINE must be used with a
    serial console.  Setting an Alpha system to use a serial console
    is system-specific.  The procedure for most common hardware is:

	DEC 3000/[4-9]00's:
		Flip the appropriate switch on the back of the machine.

	DEC 3000/300 family machines:
		Boot the machine with the keyboard/mouse connector
		unplugged.

	Other machines running the SRM console on local display:
		From the SRM console, enter
			set console serial
		at the SRM prompt, then enter
			init
		or cycle power.

    See your owner's manual for more details on how to set your machine
    to use a serial console.

    Note that some MACHINE computers currently *require* a serial console
    and can't be used from a regular keyboard/display console, even though
    the motherboard has appropriate connectors.
    Currently, only the TURBOchannel MACHINE computers (DEC 3000) require
    use of a serial console.

    If booting using the regular console aborts with ``not configured to
    use display && keyboard console'', then you need to use a serial
    console.
    If your machine was not listed in the list above, please report this
    on <alpha@openbsd.org>.