HP/DEC/Compaq

Cauldronborn wrote: Well my question was more geared to what people's opinions/impressions are......

My golden rule is to run the original vendor's OS on any machine unless there is a good reason not to (ie, task for machines, availability, license etc).

If you want to run Linux why bother getting fun, obscure and esoteric hardware?

Cauldronborn wrote: Well my question was more geared to what people's opinions/impressions are of using different OS's on Alpha and so Google is pretty darn useless. Perhaps I worded it badly but I already know I can use Tru64, OpenVMS, NT, Free/Net/OpenBSD, and various versions of Linux.

Google is your friend when it comes to find out what your machine model was, not really hard if you spent the proverbial 5 minutes . Not knowing which box you own is quite the hurdle when it comes to give you an opinion.


An AS 1200, depending on the memory configuration should perform quite nicely w. OpenVMS. You can obtain a hobbyist kit really cheap.

Tru64 is pretty much dead, and there is nothing other than advfs with the builting storageworks trays that makes it interesting.

I am partial to netbsd, it is well supported and it flies on 21164 based systems.

Personally I'd go for either OpenVMS or Tru64 in that order.
You'll probably find more useful stuff on VMS, I believe it comes with just about everything you could want including compilers, TCP/IP and XWindows.
And from my humble point of view, is much more interesting and exotic.
While Tru64 is a bit more crippled and hard to find good freeware for.

So many cool things to learn about Bliss compilers, DCL, non-Unix OS, DecNet ...

porter wrote:

theinonen wrote: Not knowing the exact model of the alphaserver I think that safest choice would be linux. It has support for more systems than BSD.

I would be happy to debate that. I suggest you review the number of architectures NetBSD supports....

Systems = different alpha systems, not different architectures

Anyway, NetBSD should work on AS1200 since it is similar than AS4100.

FreeBSD works, but probably only in console. (X won't work on AS4100)

theinonen wrote: FreeBSD works, but probably only in console. (X won't work on AS4100)

xdm....

I would have thought there wasn't much I could do with OpenVMS. Oh just remembered I got an Alphastation 200/233 at the same time as the other machine. At least that one was labeled properly.

One harddisk with Tru64, another with OpenVMS.
In my opinion there is no reason to run an operating system, which also runs on x86 architecture.

Ebbi wrote: One harddisk with Tru64, another with OpenVMS.
In my opinion there is no reason to run an operating system, which also runs on x86 architecture.

Can't agree more, I wouldn't buy such a machine to run an operating system that runs on an ordinary PC (trying to get AS600 running so I can install VMS and Tru64 as well (VMS goes to Jensen).

Ebbi wrote: One harddisk with Tru64, another with OpenVMS.
In my opinion there is no reason to run an operating system, which also runs on x86 architecture.

Some people are interested in learning the innerworkings of non-x86 platforms.

Hmm, turns out I have a copy of Tru64 5.1. Not sure its is all here. I only have one OS disk labeled volume 1, and another that says Firmware update v5.8, oh and a Software doc cd.

Cauldronborn wrote: Hmm, turns out I have a copy of Tru64 5.1. Not sure its is all here. I only have one OS disk labeled volume 1, and another that says Firmware update v5.8, oh and a Software doc cd.

Tru64 should come with at least 3 CDs: 1 base/installation + 2 Associate products.

Depending on the package you have, you also need the license pak(s). Otherways I believe it only lets you operate in single user mode, and some services need a license pak to be enabled.

R-ten-K wrote: Some people are interested in learning the innerworkings of non-x86 platforms.

Yeah, some people are strange. Developers, I could see. But normal users? Why bother... I'm in the process of refurbishing my MicroVAX 3300 and PDP-11/53, and will be running VMS and RSX-11M on them, respectively, and see no need to install anything else. I wouldn't install Linux on an SGI box, so why would I install a freeware BSD on a VAX?

For tastes there are colours, I guess.

Linux is not that well supported on most SGI machines. However, *BSDs/Linux do support AXP boxes fairly well, so the analogy is not 100% accurate. Also, not everyone has access to the media or licenses for the original OS.

Tru64 is for all intents and purposes dead, so unless the box is to be used to reminisce about the good old day, it makes sense to use a somewhat still supported OSOS or OpenVMS.

SCSI disks are cheap, and since it sounds the system is going to be used to simply dick around, just install whatever...

Well I was mostly looking for something still somewhat useful and supported as well.

R-ten-K wrote: For tastes there are colours, I guess.

Linux is not that well supported on most SGI machines.

SCSI disks are cheap, and since it sounds the system is going to be used to simply dick around, just install whatever...

Gentoo (Linux) runs just fine on one of my O ctanes.... It still runs Irix 95% of the time. I run Linux on it because I can. Choice is a damn fine thing, but sometimes I refuse to choose, and just say damn it run everything . It takes less than a minute to swap boot disks and given the situation I would dual boot between Tru64 and OpenVMS and with enough disks and the ability to switch between SRM and ARC firmware, Linux and *BSD too.


Regan

R-ten-K wrote: Tru64 is for all intents and purposes dead, so unless the box is to be used to reminisce about the good old day, it makes sense to use a somewhat still supported OSOS or OpenVMS.

LOL, if current support is a requirement, then you'd probably have to retire your Indy's and Indigo2's. What about the PDP's? Guess I may as well put them out to the curb.

Yeah, everyone has their own take on what is the best way to go. I'm a purist, but that's just me. Heck, most of my workstation collection just sits there unused, so in that regard, it really doesn't even matter what's installed on them.

foetz wrote: sure, will give it a try ...

EDIT: okay this was a bust. configure options ignored, obviously never tested it on a real 64bit system and likely not on anything else but glibc/gcc. when i hit an unresolved symbol while linking nothing but sudo's own objects i trashed it
if i may ask, you're looking for bash, gcc, sudo, gnutar ... why do you wanna run tru64? i mean you obviously wanna simulate linux so why not going for that in the first place?

Alpha support is almost non existent on Linux nowadays. OpenBSD and NetBSD support it, FreeBSD dropped support a long time ago in 7.0. Tru64 is the only official UNIX the platform ever had.

oh i didn't mean linux on the alpha but linux in general

Krokodil wrote: Tru64 is the only official UNIX the platform ever had.

Allow me to disagree. Linux was kind of supported at some point, since user guides for the late models (DS20, DS25) explicitely mention Linux and how to set up the SRM parameters for it to boot, with example boot logs.

didn't they even port ccc to linux?