HP Visualize C160, C180
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1996 |
| Period | Maturity (III) |
| Series | Visualize |
| CPU | PA-8000 64-bit 160-180 MHz |
| Cache | 1-2 MB |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Design | UTurn |
| Drives | 3 SCSI 1 FD |
| Expansion | 1 GSC/PCI 1 GSC/PCI/EISA 2 GSC/EISA |
| I/O | Ethernet EVC 2 SCSI 2 serial parallel 2 PS/2 HIL audio |
HP Visualize C160 and C180 were graphics workstations equipped with 64-bit PA-8000 processors, introduced in 1996. They were higher-end offerings with better CPUs and configurations compared to older HP Visualize C100, C110, or lower-cost C132L, C160L.
The case is similar to HP 9000/735 workstations with interlocking modules. HP C160 and C180 computers were aimed at CAD/CAM/3D and were succeeded by the powerful C200 and C240.
HP Visualize C160 and C180 were the first smaller
64-bit PA-RISC workstations for graphics applications, positioned by HP against Sun Ultra 2 and Silicon Graphics Indigo2 workstations.
HP marketed them for MDA, EDA, Exploration and Production, GIS, and Medical Imaging
as well as fluid dynamics and structural analysis
with outstanding floating point and graphics performance.
- HP Visualize C160, HP 9000/780, were introduced in 1996 for $24,000
- HP Visualize C180, HP 9000/780, were introduced in 1996 for $50,000
C180 were sometimes marketed as C180-XP with included Visualize 48XP graphics adapter. Earlier 32-bit C100 and C110 were board-upgradable to C160 and C180.
System architecture
Processors
| System | CPU | Speed | L1 cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP Visualize C160 | PA-8000 PA-RISC 64-bit | 160 MHz | 512/512 KB off-chip |
| HP Visualize C180 | PA-8000 PA-RISC 64-bit | 180 MHz | 1/1 MB off-chip |
Chipset
HP 9000 C160 and C180 workstations use the 64-bit HP UTurn chipset for PA-RISC computers. HP computers with Runway bus often used U2 and UTurn I/O adapters (IOA) and MMC/SMC as memory controllers that attach subsystems to the main Runway bus. HP UTurn and U2 attach the GSC main system bus with devices and I/O via Runway bus to the CPUs.
The rest of the system design and I/O devices is made up of proven components based on prior HP 32-bit PA-RISC designs, re-using HP LASI as I/O chipset.
- HP UTurn chipset Runway to GSC bridge
- HP MMC/SMC memory controllers
- HP LASI I/O chipset
- Integrated NCR 53C710 8-bit single-ended SCSI-2
- NCR 53C720 16-bit Fast-Wide high-voltage differential (HVD) SCSI-2
- Integrated Intel 82596CA 10 Mbit Ethernet controller
- HP Harmony CD/DAT quality 16-bit stereo audio
- HP Wax EISA bridge
- HP Dino GSC-to-PCI bridge
- HP Visualize-EG graphics with 2MB frame buffer memory
- Graphics could be extended through separate boards:
- Optional HP HCRX GSC video adapter
- Optional HP Visualize GSC video adapter
- Optional HP Visualize-FX PCI video adapter
- Other I/O (serial, parallel, Floppy, HP-HIL)
» View a system-level ASCII-illustration of the system architecture.
System buses
- Runway CPU/memory bus (120 MHz with 960 MB/s peak bandwidth)
- Cache: 128-bit wide bus between cache and CPU
- C160: 2.56 GB/s I-fetch, 2.56 GB/s D-load (16-Byte), 1.26 GB/s D-store
- C180: 2.88 GB/s I-fetch, 2.88 GB/s D-load (16-Byte), 1.44 GB/s D-store
- GSC-2 general system-level I/O bus
- EISA additional expansion I/O bus
- PCI-32/33 high-performance device I/O bus
- SCSI-2 single-ended bus
- SCSI-2 Fast-Wide high-voltage differential main storage I/O bus
Memory
- 72-pin ECC SIMMs, 60ns or faster
- Bus width: 128 data bits with 16 check bits
- Up to 8-way interleaving
- 960 MB/s peak bandwidth
- 12 slots for 16-256 MB modules
- 32 MB to 3 GB supported
Expansion slots
- One slot for a GSC (EISA formfactor) or PCI 32-bit/33 MHz, 3.3 V card
- One slot for a GSC (EISA formfactor), EISA or PCI 32-bit/33 MHz, 3.3 V card
- Two slots for GSC (EISA formfactor) or EISA cards
- I/O slot layout, from top to bottom:
- EISA or GSC
- EISA or GSC
- PCI-32/33, 3.3 V or EISA or GSC
- PCI-32/33, 3.3 V or GSC
- Often used for graphics applications with HP adaptors like Visualize-48
Storage
- Storage and drives installed in the disk slider
- Three SCSI half-height 3.5″ 68-pin hard drives, Fast-Wide high-voltage differential
- One SCSI half-heigth 5.25″ 50-pin SE drive, Fast-Narrow SE SCSI, externally accessible (this would take space from one internal hard drive)
- 3.5″ Floppy drive
External ports
- SCSI-2 50-pin single-ended
- SCSI-3 68-pin Fast-Wide differential (HVD)
- Two serial RS232C DB9 (up 460.8Kb/s)
- Parallel DB25
- Ethernet RJ45
- Ethernet AUI 15-pin
- EVC graphics port, that needs a special HP adapter cable to convert to VGA
- Two PS/2 connectors for keyboard and mouse
- HP-HIL for input device loop
- Four phone jacks (microphone, headphones, line-in and ?)
- Four LEDs on the front for errors and status messages
Operating systems
- HP-UX, the original HP Unix shipped with it
- HP-UX 11i v1 in 64-bit mode, TCOE and MTOE versions
- HP-UX 11.00 in 64-bit mode
- HP-UX 10.20 32-bit
- PA-RISC Linux, main Linux port to PA-RISC, supported by HP in the 2000s
- OpenBSD, open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC
- NetBSD, open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC
Pictures
Dimensions
| Height | Width | Depth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 138mm | 539mm | 447mm | 21kg |
Benchmarks
| System | CPU | SPEC95 int |
SPEC95 fp |
SPEC95 rate int |
SPEC95 rate fp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP Visualize C160 | PA-8000 160 MHz | 10.40 | 16.30 | 93.6 | 147 |
| HP Visualize C180 | PA-8000 180 MHz | 11.80 | 18.70 | 107 | 169 |
Comparison to SPEC benchmark data from other contemporary Unix workstations:
| System | CPU | SPEC95 int |
SPEC95 fp |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP Visualize C240 | PA-8200 236 MHz | 17.1 | 25.4 |
| SGI Origin 2000 | MIPS R10000 250MHz 4MB | 14.7 | 24.5 |
| Sun Ultra 5 333 | Sun UltraSPARC IIi 333MHz | 14.1 | 18.3 |
| Siemens SCENIC 1000 | Intel Pentium II 333MHz | 13.0 | 9.43 |
| IBM RS/6000 43P 150 | PowerPC 604e 250 MHz | 11.1 | 8.78 |
| SGI O2 | MIPS R10000 196MHz | 10.1 | 8.77 |
| Intel SE440BX | Intel Pentium II 233MHz | 9.38 | 7.40 |
| Intel Alder | Intel Pentium Pro 200MHz | 8.09 | 6.75 |
| HP Visualize C160L | PA-7300LC 160 MHz | 7.75 | 7.56 |
| IBM RS/6000 F50 | PowerPC 604e 166 MHz | 7.52 | 8.52 |
| DEC Alphastation 600 | DEC Alpha 21164 300MHz | 7.33 | 12.2 |
| Sun Ultra 2 1170 | Sun UltraSPARC 167MHz | 6.34 | 9.33 |
Documentation
- Model C160 / C180 / C200 / C240 / C360 Owner’s Guide (.pdf), Hewlett Packard 1998, A4200-90050 parisc linux
- Service Handbook C Class (.pdf), Hewlett Packard 1998, A4200-90042 parisc linux
- HP VISUALIZE Workstations Power Desktop Models C160 and C180-XP, HP Technical Computing archive.org, Hewlett-Packard Company (1997: mirror accessed January 2024)
LED messages
- LED errors and status messages might be displayed on the HP C-Class front LEDs
ROM update
There is a firmware update available for the C160 and C180, which contains the latest version (6.2).
- PF_CC2X0062.text has details about the contents and installation of the patch parisc linux
- PF_CC2X0062.frm contains the patch parisc linux