NEXTSTEP for PA-RISC

Title: PA-RISC Frequently Asked Questions 

Entry Number: 1684
Last Updated: 1 September 1994
Document Revision: 994B

Keywords: Hewlett Packard, HPPA, HP/PA, PA-RISC, HP-UX

Introduction

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for NEXTSTEP Release 3.2 for PA-RISC.  This document is updated regularly to reflect NeXT Technical Support's most commonly-asked technical questions about NEXTSTEP for PA-RISC.  You can use this document as a quick reference guide for issues that may or may not be readily available in other documentation. 

We update this document regularly, and we welcome comments and suggestions.  You can contact Technical Support by phone at +1 (800) 955-NEXT or +1 (415) 780-2922, by fax at +1 (415) 780-2801, or by e-mail at nextanswers-request@next.com.  Hewlett Packard hardware technical support can be reached at +1 (800) 633-3600.

PA-RISC Supported Configurations

Q:	Which HP PA-RISC systems are supported by NEXTSTEP Release 3.2 for PA-RISC, and how should they be configured?

A:	The release supports the following HP 9000 series 700 system models: 712/60, 712/80, 712/80i, 715/33, 715/50, 735, and 755.  The 725 has not been tested by NeXT but is reported compatible by our customers.  The 705 is not supported.

	Memory: A minimum of 16MB RAM is required.  Maximum RAM is 128MB on 712 systems and 256MB on 7x5 systems.

	Hard disk: One SCSI hard disk with a capacity of at least 120MB (330MB for development systems) is required.  See "Hard Drive Compatibility" below.

	CD-ROM: See "CD-ROM Compatibility" below.

	SCSI: NEXTSTEP supports up to seven SCSI devices, with a maximum size of 2GB for each SCSI hard disk partition.  SCSI tape drives are also supported.

	Display / Graphics: 7x5 systems support 8-bit grayscale and 24-bit CRX24 color at a resolution of 1280x1024.  712 systems support 8-bit grayscale and pseudo-24-bit color at resolutions of 1280x1024, 1024x768, 800x600, and 640x480.  NEXTSTEP Release 3.2 does not support multi-headed systems, i.e. systems using more than one display.

	Floppy disk: NEXTSTEP supports a single 1.44MB 3 1/2-inch floppy drive on 712 systems.  The floppy drive on 7x5 systems is not supported.

	Sound: NEXTSTEP supports 16-bit audio at 22 and 44 KHz on the 712.

	Network: NEXTSTEP supports IEEE 802.3 Ethernet using Twisted Pair, ThinNet (with an external tranceiver where needed), or ThickNet (AUI) connectors on PA-RISC systems.

	RS-232: NEXTSTEP supports asynchronous serial I/O at up to 38.4 KBaud.

	Other devices: While certain PC-style devices are supported on 712 systems, NeXT has not tested all such devices and discourages customers from purchasing hardware not provided by HP.  In particular, PS/2-style keyboards are known to be incompatible with NEXTSTEP Release 3.2 for PA-RISC.

	Expansion bus: NEXTSTEP Release 3.2 does not support the EISA expansion bus on 7x5 systems.

HP-UX and NEXTSTEP

Q:	Can I install HP-UX and NEXTSTEP onto separate partitions of the same hard disk?

A:	HP-UX and NEXTSTEP use incompatible partitioning schemes and cannot be installed on the same disk.  The only way to set up a dual-boot machine is by using separate hard disks for HP-UX and NEXTSTEP.

Q:	Okay, I've set up a dual-boot machine using one disk for NEXTSTEP and another for HP-UX.  Whenever I log in under NEXTSTEP, I get a panel which says "The disk is unreadable," with options to initialize, repair, or ignore.  The default option is "Initialize."  What should I do?

A:	This happens because NEXTSTEP attempts to mount the HP-UX disk but does not know how to read its filesystem.  You should click "Ignore."  Choosing either of the other options may result in irreparable data loss on the HP-UX disk.  (In a future release, you will be able to add an entry in /etc/fstab that will force NEXTSTEP to ignore the HP-UX disk automatically.)

CD-ROM Compatibility

Q:	What CD-ROM drives can be used to install NEXTSTEP?

A:	Due to restrictions in the HP ROMs, only certain HP and Toshiba CD-ROM drives can be used to install NEXTSTEP.  The recommended CD-ROM drive is the HP A2655A.  The HP A1999A can be used with 7x5 systems but is incompatible with 712 systems.

	The HP A2655A uses the same mechanism as the Toshiba XM-3401TA, while the HP A1999A uses the same mechanism as the Toshiba XM-3301TA.  These drives may be used instead of the equivalent HP drives, but NeXT recommends contacting HP to be sure your firmware revision is compatible.

Q:	Can a wider range of CD-ROM drives be used to read CD-ROMs once NEXTSTEP has been installed?

A:	Yes.

Hard Drive Compatibility

Q:	I've encountered some suspicious problems such as errors during installation, SCSI timeouts, and a wait of several minutes to log in to the Workspace.  What's going on?

A:	NeXT has discovered SCSI incompatibilities with a few specific hard drive models and firmware revisions.  The following tables summarize our findings to date.

Compatible:
	Vendor		Model		Capacity		FW rev.	Verification status
	Seagate		ST11200N	1001MB		8104	NeXT-verified
	HP			C2247		1001MB		0BQ3	NeXT-verified
	Micropolis	2112		1001MB		4024	NeXT-verified
	Seagate		ST12550N	2040MB		0013	customer report

Not Compatible:
	Vendor		Model		Capacity		FW rev.	Verification status
	Quantum		LPS1080S	1001MB		111B	customer report
	DEC			DSP3105S	1001MB		T370	customer report
	Seagate		ST3600N		499MB		9686	customer report

	If you are encountering problems with one of the hard drives listed here as not compatible, contact HP for a replacement drive.  In addition, if you have any additional information related to these table, please contact NeXT Technical Support by the means listed in the Introduction.

SCSI Device Numbering

Q:	How are SCSI device numbers assigned on HP hardware?

A:	Unlike NEXTSTEP on NeXT and Intel-based hardware, NEXTSTEP for PA-RISC assigns SCSI device numbers in order of decreasing SCSI ID numbers.  In other words, NEXTSTEP scans down by SCSI ID, assigning device number 0 to the first device encountered, device number 1 to the second, etc. 

	For example, a typical HP SCSI setup consists of a hard disk at SCSI ID 6 and a CD-ROM drive at SCSI ID 2.  In this example, the hard disk is assigned SCSI device number 0, while the CD-ROM drive is assigned device number 1.  A second hard disk added at ID 1 would then be assigned device number 2.