I have 4 DEC Alpha XLT's here (all are 300mhz 256m ram) that I have
wanted to put to use for some time. I really, really wanted to install
FBSD on them but FBSD doesn't support an Alpha that isn't using SRM
firmware. All 4 of mine are equipped with the latest (v5.66) AlphaBIOS
as that is all that is available anymore from Digital/Compaq. I queried
them about it a couple months ago and the reply was rather abrupt: "It's
not available."
I just finished installing Debian GNU/Linux on one of them. I tried it
because I was told that Debian has a method of using the AlphaBIOS (made
for installing WinNT only) to install and run Linux.
It seems Debian uses to files: linload.exe and another referred to as
MILO (Mini Loader) to bootstrap the OS into operation. It actually works
out quite well, and I was a little surprised to see things running in a
short time. Problem is that I want to use FBSD, not Linux, on these
boxes. I have nothing against Linux, but I figure that it's better to
run FBSD with Linux support than just straight Linux. That and I find
that I really like FBSD anyway.
I was wondering if someone was working on a project for FBSD to achieve
this same function for AlphaBIOS-based machines. I'm not a programmer or
anything like that, and though I would like to help create this for
FBSD, I don't know where or how to start. So I thought I would simply
suggest it and hope that some other, more seasoned, programmers could
run with it. I assume that it would be entirely possible since other
Unix-like system already do it, and believe that it would basically come
down to understanding how the Linux folks do it and then to recreate it
for FBSD. If someone is currently or starts to work on this and needs
helps testing it out, contact me. I've still got 3 more Alpha boxes
collecting dust that would be more than happy to help.
Thanks for your time, and thanks in advance to anyone willing to work on
this.
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