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From: euanep@eua.ericsson.se (Per-Einar Stromme)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: [Q] boot floppy & external cashe use
Followup-To: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Date: 21 Jun 1995 19:19:56 GMT
Organization: Ellemtel Telecom Systems Labs, Stockholm, Sweden
Lines: 262
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <3s9rcs$n0k@euas20.eua.ericsson.se>
Reply-To: euanep@eua.ericsson.se
NNTP-Posting-Host: euas45c08.eua.ericsson.se
The question
Does the 'FreeBSD boot floppy' make use of the external cashe
at all ? (on a 486DX2-66 with an external cashe)
The background
My PC stops with a `trap 0002` message when trying to boot OS/2
and using the external cashe.
I`ll explain below, why I`m using OS2.
The PC internal
See below for details (long though)
The following is an exerp from the release message of the 2.0.5 version of FreeBSD
and chopped up by me, trying to explain.
---------------exerp of the release message---------------------------
--> You may also wish to read the HARDWARE GUIDE *before* proceeding any
--> further with the installation.
I think I did.
--> Configuring PC hardware for anything
--> other than DOS/Windows (which don't actually make very significant
--> demands on the hardware) is actually quite a bit harder than it looks,
So I understood, and hoped.
I bootet my machine using the 'FreeBSD boot floppy' in
order to test the hardware, and I successfully
(I think) reached the installation menu (to my
surprice), at which I make a halt.
[BTW. is it possible to save the printouts from the booting
process ?]
--> and if you think you understand PCs then you clearly haven't been
--> using them for long enough! :)
I obvously dont understand enough.
--> This guide will give you some tips on
--> how to configure your hardware and what symptoms to watch for in case
--> of trouble. This guide is available in the Documentation menu of the
--> FreeBSD boot floppy.
The trouble is, that I had NO trouble at all, thus the question
in the begining.
--------------------end of release message-------------------
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
----------------Some basic facts--------------------
Ive got a system based on a UMC VL-BUS 486 board (with a
VESA local bus) with a AMD486 DX266 processor and a BIOS with some,
by the manual, porly described settings.
The following printout was made of the program AMIsetup v2.70.0
(thanks a lot, saved a lot of handwriting).
BIOS ID: 40-0001-001256-00101111-111192-UMC491
------------ ------------
BTW. what my BIOS rely says when booting
is this
40-0001-001256-00101111-111192-UMC491-H
^^----extra
------------ ------------
Standard setup
Base memory: 640K
Extended memory: 14848K
Floppy drive A: 1.44M 3 1/4
Floppy drive B: 1.2M 5 1/2
Display adapter: VGA/PGA/EGA
Keyboard: Installed
Hard disk 0: Not installed / SCSI
Hard disk 1: Not installed / SCSI
Extended setup
Advanced cmos setup
--------------------
Option | Current | Possible settings
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Typematic Rate Programming | Disabled | Enabled
Typematic Rate Delay (msec)| 500 | 250 750 1000
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) | 30 | 6 8 10 12 15 20 24
þ Mouse Support Option | Enabled | Disabled
Above 1 MB Memory Test | Disabled | Enabled
Memory Test Tick Sound | Enabled | Disabled
Memory Parity Error Check | Enabled | Disabled
Hit <DEL> Message Display | Enabled | Disabled
Hard Disk Type 47 RAM Area | 0:300 | DOS 1KB
Wait For <F1> If Any Error | Enabled | Disabled
System Boot Up Num Lock | On | Off
Numeric Processor Test | Enabled |
Weitek Processor | Absent | Present
Floppy Drive Seek At Boot | Enabled | Disabled
System Boot Up Sequence | C:, A: | A:, C:
System Boot Up CPU Speed | High | Low
External Cache Memory | Disabled | Enabled
Internal Cache Memory | Enabled |
Fast Gate A20 Option | Enabled | Disabled
þ Turbo Switch Function | Enabled | Disabled
Password Checking Option | Setup | Always
BootSector Virus Protection| Disabled |
þ TUBRO_Cache_Function | Disabled | Enabled
Advanced chips setup
--------------------
Option | Current | Possible settings
---------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTO Config Function | Disabled | Enabled
Cache Read Option | 2-1-1-1 | 3-2-2-2 3-1-1-1
Cache Write Option | 0 W.S. | 2 W.S. 1 W.S.
Refresh Cycle | Slow | Fast
DRAM Type | PageMode | FastPage
DRAM Wait State(s) | 1 W.S. | 2 W.S. 0 W.S.
CoProcessor Ready | No Delay | Delay 1T
Check ELBA# Signal | in T2 | in T1
Non-Cacheable Block1 Enable| Disabled | Enabled
Non-Cacheable Block-1 Size | 4MB |
Non-Cacheable Block-1 Base | 0KB |
Non-Cacheable Block2 Enable| Disabled | Enabled
Non-Cacheable Block-2 Size | 16MB |
Non-Cacheable Block-2 Base | 0KB |
Memory Remapping | Disabled | Enabled
F Segment Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
E Segment Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
C000-C3FF Shadow RAM | Into-486 | Disabled Enabled Cached
C400-C7FF Shadow RAM | Cached | Disabled Enabled Into-486
C800-CBFF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
CC00-CFFF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
D000-D3FF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
D400-D7FF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
D800-DBFF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
DC00-DFFF Shadow RAM | Disabled | Enabled Cached Into-486
Hold PD Bus for DMA/Master | 1~2 T | 2~3 T
Refresh Divider | 1 | 64 2 4 8 16 32
Keyboard Clock Select | 9.5 MHz | CPUCLK/6 CPUCLK/5 CPUCLK/4 [...]
AT Clock Select | CPUCLK/4 | CPUCLK/6 CPUCLK/5 CPUCLK/3 [...]
Data Location of Local Bus | PD Bus | ISA Bus
LOWA20#,RC Emulation | None | GA20 Both
Stretch 0WS# Signal Option | Do Not | « ATCLK
IO Recovery Time of ISA/PCB| 0/0 BCL | 1/1 BCLK 2/2 BCLK 3/3 BCLK [...]
þ = disabled in ROM BIOS <¨> = unknown setting
AMIsetup v2.70.0/UNREG. Please REGISTER! <---ok ok
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The character þ in the above printout is denoting a choise not
shown on the actual BIOS setting screens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some things in the above printout dont comply with whats written on
the screen by the BIOS itself.
40-0001-001256-00101111-111192-UMC491-H
^
!
This is extra on the boot screen---->+
-------------------
Another intriguing thing are the different dates comming out
of the BIOS.
On the boot screen it says
AMI Bios 1992
05/04/1993
And later on this date can be found
AMIBIOS date 11/11 - 92
confusing isnt it (I guess these dates are really meaning differnt things
and comming from the process of adapting the bios to this specific board).
The following are whats written on the chips (the more significant ones)
of my motherboard.
--------------
UMC
UM82C491F
9329-AS
N52982
--------------
UM82C493F
9324EK712
--------------
AmI L3031504
MEGA-KB-H-WP
(M)(C)'77 P8042AHP
--------------
486DXISABIOS
AB3551290
(c)1993
--------------
--------------------End of the basic facts----------------
I thought I install OS2 first (looked simple) to be
able to run some DOS and Windows programs, and then move on to
Linux or FreeBSD (didnt sound as simple) when I had that part
running.
But as things are I`ve got a sluggish PC at the moment
and I would like to make use of the external cashe to make it go
faster.
All hints make me happy. I'm trying to read before I hit
the `ask_the_world_button`, but now Im stuck.
From a Stockholm with a grey sky
Per Einar
----------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Per Einar Strömme can be reached using
mail Per-Einar.Stromme@eua.ericsson.se
----------------------------------------------------------
PS. Here is some papers I`ve been trough
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
archie (in my case archie@archie.luth.se) didnt come up with something
usefull in this case
(whatis BIOS
whatis AMI
find ami
find bios ).
BIOS-survival-3.1,
chiplist-5.2,
motherboards9-26-94,
pcfaq113).