OpenPA.net

NetBSD/hp700

Overview

NetBSD is a free, open source Unix-like operating system, and has support for PA-RISC 1.1 systems in its NetBSD/hp700 port since 2004/2005. It is a variant of BSD Unix and a descendant of 4.3BSD, from which it emerged in 1993 via the free 386BSD and Networking/2 releases. NetBSD/hp700 is available via binary snapshots, since the PA-RISC port never reached the status of a formal release version.

Work on a port to 32-bit PA-RISC systems was started several times during the 1990s and early 2000s. The current effort is largely based on Michael Shalayeff’s work on the OpenBSD/hppa kernel from 2004 to 2005, from which NetBSD/hp700 used many parts.

The port focuses on 32-bit PA-RISC 1.1 computers based on PA-7100, PA-7100LC and PA-7300LC processors.

NetBSD/hp700 is the least complete port of the three current open source systems, trailing both Linux and OpenBSD on PA-RISC.

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Supported systems

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Supported hardware

Buses and chipsets

PCI and GSC buses and onboard bus controllers (ASP, LASI, Dino/Cujo) are supported.

ISA/EISA, Cardbus and HP-PB buses and bus controllers are not supported.

Networking

All on-board Ethernet and Fast-Ethernet network interfaces are supported; the FDDI sliders on the 735/755 are not supported. Expansion cards for the GSC/HSC and PCI bus slots with a supported Ethernet chipset (Intel i82596, DEC 21142/43 Tulip, Intel i8255x, Realtek 8120/8139, NE2000, SiS 900) could work. No other network expansion boards (ATM, FDDI, Gigabit Ethernet) are supported.

Realtek RTL8150L USB-based Ethernet adapters are supported.

Storage

Storage I/O is supported via the NCR 53C700 narrow, NCR 53C710 Fast-Narrow or NCR 53C875 Ultra-Wide SE SCSI controllers. The on-board NCR 53C720 Fast-Wide HVD controllers are not supported.

GSC/HSC and PCI expansion cards with one of the 53C710 or 53C8xx (siop) SCSI chipsets, Adaptec 2940 (ahc) PCI and various Qlogic ISP PCI SCSI adapters should also work, however not necessarily for booting.

Graphics

All on-board graphics adapters are supported for text mode via STI routines (similar to PC VGA BIOS). At the present there is no working X server.

Human I/O

Human I/O is supported via PS/2 devices, HIL does not work.

Misc

Several PCI USB adapters from VIA and ALi have been tested and are known to work; they support USB mass-storage and Ethernet devices. The onboard Harmony audio system is supported.

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Software

References

Manuals

Websites

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