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Date:      Fri, 25 Oct 1996 13:50:18 -0600
From:      Steve Passe <smp@csn.net>
To:        Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Cc:        Harlan.Stenn@pfcs.com (Harlan Stenn), current@freebsd.org, smp@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: PIC+EISA Recommendations? 
Message-ID:  <199610251950.NAA16741@clem.systemsix.com>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 25 Oct 1996 11:58:16 PDT." <199610251858.LAA14036@phaeton.artisoft.com> 

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Hi,

> > Since this is a topic of discussion...
> > ...
> > I have an 486/90 EISA machine with an AHA 1742, and I'd rather not waste
> > that controller if it's cost-effective to move it to a new machine.
> > 
> > So is there a good single or dual P[56] or P{5,6} CPU motherboard that
> > has both PCI and EISA?
> 
> The ASUS PCI/EISA is what Poul or Peter is using (on loan from Walnut
> Creek, it was the machine Jack Vogel, who did the original SMP work
> and the FreeBSD 1.1.5.1 SPARC port, was using).  It's a decent
> motherboard.
> ...

We haven't been able to get Peter's MB working with my symmetric IO code
and his EISA (2742?) controller.  We anticipate other problems with EISA
MBs and the MP spec.

Quoting Peter:

On some EISA systems, some irq's (such as the timer) are hardwired 
internally to the 8259's and are not available as APIC inputs.  This is a 
problem that will complicate things no end.  On those systems both the 
8259's and the APICs must be active, with the 8259 feeding it's output 
through the ExINT on the cpu's local apic.  But that puts us well over the 
32 interrupt source limit, so we are not even thinking about this yet 
until the basics are working right.

[ end quote ]

  For the above and other reasons I would suggest avoiding an EISA board
for SMP work.  If you don't anticipate NEEDing to use EISA cards don't
get an EISA MB.  This view may change later when we know more about them
in an SMP environment, but that is likely to lag other development.

--
Steve Passe	| powered by
smp@csn.net	|            FreeBSD




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