Digital Equipment Digital Semiconductor 21164 Alpha... User manual

DigitalSemiconductor21164
AlphaMicroprocessorMotherboard
User’sManual
Order Number: EC–QLJLC–TE
Revision/Update Information: This document supersedes the
Alpha 21164 Microprocessor Motherboard
User’s Manual (EC–QLJLB–TE).
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

March 1996
Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only
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manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do
the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell
equipment or software in accordance with the description.
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1996.
All rights reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
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All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT Version 2.1.

Contents
About This Manual........................................... vii
1 Introduction to the EB164
1.1 System Components and Features........................ 1–1
1.1.1 Digital Semiconductor 21171 Core Logic Chipset .......... 1–1
1.1.2 Memory Subsystem ................................ 1–3
1.1.3 L3 Bcache Subsystem Overview ....................... 1–3
1.1.4 PCI Interface Overview . . ........................... 1–3
1.1.5 ISA Interface Overview . . ........................... 1–4
1.1.6 Miscellaneous Logic ................................ 1–4
1.1.7 Software Support .................................. 1–5
1.1.8 Component Layout ................................. 1–5
1.2 EB164 Summary . . ................................... 1–6
2 System Configuration and Connectors
2.1 Configuration Jumpers................................. 2–1
2.2 EB164 Connectors . ................................... 2–8
3 Starting and Using the EB164
3.1 Hardware Requirements ............................... 3–1
3.2 Software Requirements ................................ 3–2
3.3 Hardware Configuration ............................... 3–2
3.4 Software Configuration ................................ 3–8
3.4.1 Starting Windows NT ARC Firmware .................. 3–9
3.4.2 Going to the Debug Monitor from Windows NT ARC
Firmware ........................................ 3–9
3.4.3 Returning to Windows NT ARC Firmware from the Debug
Monitor ......................................... 3–10
iii

4 Functional Description
4.1 PCI Interrupts and Arbitration . . ........................ 4–1
4.1.1 Interrupts ....................................... 4–1
4.1.2 Arbitration ....................................... 4–5
4.2 ISA Bus Devices...................................... 4–5
4.3 dc Power Distribution . ................................ 4–5
4.4 PCI Devices . ........................................ 4–7
4.5 Flash ROM. . ........................................ 4–8
4.5.1 Special ROM Header ............................... 4–8
4.5.2 Flash ROM Structure............................... 4–11
4.5.3 Flash ROM Access . ................................ 4–13
5 EB164 Requirements, Power, and Parameters
5.1 Power Requirements . . ................................ 5–1
5.2 Environmental Requirements . . . ........................ 5–2
5.3 Physical Board Parameters ............................. 5–2
A Supporting Vendor Products
A.1 Products Included .................................... A–1
A.2 Products Not Included . ................................ A–2
B Technical Support and Ordering Information
B.1 Obtaining Technical Support ............................ B–1
B.2 Ordering Digital Semiconductor Products . . ................ B–1
B.3 Ordering Digital Semiconductor Literature . ................ B–2
B.4 Ordering Third-Party Literature . ........................ B–3
Index
Figures
1–1 EB164 Functional Block Diagram ..................... 1–2
1–2 Board Component Layout . . . ........................ 1–6
2–1 EB164 Jumper Locations ............................ 2–2
2–2 Configuration Jumpers.............................. 2–3
2–3 EB164 Connector Locations . . ........................ 2–8
2–4 Detail of Header Connector J2 ........................ 2–9
iv

3–1 Fan/Heat Sink Assembly . ........................... 3–4
3–2 EB164 Power Connectors . ........................... 3–7
4–1 Interrupt Logic. ................................... 4–2
4–2 Interrupt and Interrupt Mask Registers ................ 4–5
4–3 dc Power Distribution . . . ........................... 4–6
4–4 Special Header Content . . ........................... 4–8
5–1 Board Component Layout ........................... 5–3
Tables
1–1 Main Memory Sizes ................................ 1–3
1–2 EB164 Features Summary ........................... 1–7
2–1 Configuration Jumper Position Descriptions . . . .......... 2–4
2–2 EB164 Connector Descriptions ........................ 2–10
4–1 EB164 System Interrupts ........................... 4–3
4–2 PCI-to-ISA SIO Bridge Interrupts . . ................... 4–4
4–3 Special Header Entry Descriptions . ................... 4–9
4–4 Flash ROM Image Selection .......................... 4–11
5–1 Power Supply dc Current Requirements ................ 5–1
5–2 Board Component List . . . ........................... 5–4
v

About This Manual
This manual describes Digital Semiconductor’s 21164 Alpha microprocessor
motherboard (EB164), a module for computing systems based on the 21164
Alpha microprocessor and the Digital Semiconductor 21171 chipset.
Audience
This manual is intended for users of the EB164 to assist them in installing the
EB164 and populating it with memory modules and peripheral cards.
ScopeThis manual describes the features, configuration, and installation of the
EB164. This manual does not include specific bus specifications (for example,
PCI or ISA buses). Additional information is available in the appropriate
vendor and IEEE specifications. See Appendix B for information about how to
obtain additional technical support and how to order additional documentation.
Content
This manual contains the following chapters and appendixes:
• Chapter 1, Introduction to the EB164, is an overview of the EB164,
including its components, uses, and features.
• Chapter 2, System Configuration and Connectors, describes the user
environment configuration; board connectors and functions; jumper
functions; and identifies jumper and connector locations.
• Chapter 3, Starting and Using the EB164, lists additional hardware and
software requirements, provides information on how to configure the
hardware and software, and describes the motherboard startup procedures.
• Chapter 4, Functional Description, describes some of the functional
elements of the EB164, such as flash ROM contents, interrupt assignments,
and power distribution.
vii

• Chapter 5, EB164 Requirements, Power, and Parameters, describes the
EB164 power and environmental requirements, and identifies major board
components.
• Appendix A, Supporting Vendor Products, lists suggested vendor sources
for supporting components, such as, power supply, SIMMs, enclosure, and
so forth.
• Appendix B, Technical Support and Ordering Information, describes how to
obtain Digital Semiconductor information and technical support, and how
to order Digital Semiconductor products and associated literature.
Document Conventions
This section provides the conventions used in this document.
Caution: Cautions indicate potential damage to equipment or data.
Note: Notes provide additional information.
Numbering: All numbers are decimal or hexadecimal unless otherwise
indicated. In case of ambiguity, a subscript indicates the radix of nondecimal
numbers. For example, 19 is a decimal number, but 1916 and 19A are
hexadecimal numbers.
Extents: Extents are specified by a single number, or a pair of numbers in
angle brackets (< >) separated by a colon (:) and are inclusive. For example,
bits <7:3> specify an extent including bits 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3. Multiple bit fields
are shown as extents.
Register Figures: Register figures have bit and field position numbering
starting at the right (low-order) and increasing to the left (high-order).
Signal Names: Signal names in text are printed in boldface lowercase type.
For example, ‘‘ . . . bits data<127:0> are delivered to the Bcache SIMM
connectors . . . ’’
viii

1
Introduction to the EB164
This chapter provides an overview of the EB164 motherboard and describes
the EB164, its components, features, and uses.
1.1 System Components and Features
The EB164 is implemented in industry-standard parts and uses a Digital
Semiconductor 21164 Alpha microprocessor (21164) running at 266, 300, or 333
MHz. The functional components are shown in Figure 1–1 and are introduced
in the following subsections.
1.1.1 Digital Semiconductor 21171 Core Logic Chipset
The 21164 is supported by the Digital Semiconductor 21171 (21171) chipset.
The 21171 consists of the following two application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) types:
• One copy of the 21171-CA control, I/O interface, and address chip (CIA)
provides the interface between the 21164, main memory (addressing and
control), and the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. It also
provides the data switch companion chips with control information to direct
the data flow.
• Four copies of the 21171-BA data switch chip (DSW) provide the memory
interface data path and route PCI data through the CIA chip.
The chipset includes the majority of functions required to develop a high-
performance PC or workstation, requiring minimum discrete logic on the
module. It provides flexible and generic functions to allow its use in a wide
range of systems.
Introduction to the EB164 1–1

1.1 System Components and Features
Figure 1–1 EB164 Functional Block Diagram
21164 Alpha
Microprocessor
Index
21171−BA
Data Switch
(X4)
21171−CA
Control, I/O Interface,
19
Digital Semiconductor
21171 Core Logic Chipset
PCI−to−ISA
Bridge
Control 64
Bcache
SIMM
Sockets (X2)
Support
− Oscillator
− Serial ROM
256
DRAM
SIMM
Sockets
Address/Control
(X8)
Data
Data
Flash ROM
Time−of−Year
Keyboard/Mouse
3 Dedicated PCI Slots
2 Dedicated ISA Slots
1 Shared PCI/ISA Slot
Combination
Controller
2 IDE Devices
Diskette
Parallel Port
2 Serial Ports MK−2306−01A
Control
Data
Check
Address
Commands
Bcache Tag 10
128
16
37
and Address
Digital Semiconductor
Digital Semiconductor
Digital Semiconductor
1–2 Introduction to the EB164

1.1 System Components and Features
1.1.2 Memory Subsystem
The dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) provides 32MB to 512MB with
a 256-bit data bus. The memory is contained in one bank of eight commodity
single inline memory modules (SIMMs). Single- or double-sided SIMMs may
be used. Each SIMM is 36 bits wide, with 32 data bits and 4 check bits,
with 70 ns or less access. Table 1–1 lists the SIMM sizes supported and the
corresponding main memory size for 256-bit arrays.
Table 1–1 Main Memory Sizes
SIMM Size Eight SIMMs (256-Bit Array)
1M 2 36 32MB
2M 2 36 64MB
4M 2 36 128MB
8M
2 36 256MB
16M 2 36 512MB
All eight SIMM connectors (J3 through J10) must be populated. See Figure 2–3
and Table 2–2.
1.1.3 L3 Bcache Subsystem Overview
The board-level external L3 backup cache (Bcache) subsystem supports
multiple cache sizes and access times. Cache sizes supported are 2MB with
Alpha cache SIMMs populated with 128K 2 8 SRAMs, and 4MB and 8MB with
SIMMs populated with 512K 2 8 SRAMs. Speeds of 6 ns to 15 ns can be used.
The EB164 has a 2MB 10-ns Bcache SIMM. See Appendix A for order
information.
1.1.4 PCI Interface Overview
The EB164 PCI interface is the main I/O bus for the majority of functions
(SCSI interface, graphics accelerator, and so on). The PCI interface provides a
selectable PCI speed between 25 MHz and 33 MHz (based on the 21164 clock
divisor). An onboard PCI-to-ISA bridge is provided through an Intel 82378ZB
Saturn I/O (SIO) chip.
The PCI bus has three dedicated PCI expansion slots (one 64-bit and two
32-bit) and one shared 64-bit PCI/ISA slot.
Introduction to the EB164 1–3

1.1 System Components and Features
1.1.5 ISA Interface Overview
The ISA bus has two dedicated slots and a third shared ISA/PCI slot. It
provides the following system support functions:
• Mouse and keyboard controller functions—provided by an Intel 8242 chip.
• An IDE interface, a diskette controller, two universal asynchronous
receiver–transmitters (UARTs) with full modem control, and a bidirectional
parallel port—provided by a National 87312 combination chip.
• A time-of-year (TOY) function—provided by a Dallas Semiconductor
DS1287 chip.
• Operating system support—provided by a 1MB flash ROM that contains
firmware and debug monitor code.
Users can develop code on a host system, and load software into the EB164
through a serial line, diskette, or Ethernet board. In addition, sectors of
the flash ROM can be programmed for application-specific purposes.
1.1.6 Miscellaneous Logic
The EB164 contains the following miscellaneous components:
• Clocks
A 26.66-MHz oscillator and phase-locked loop (PLL) clock generator provide
a clock source to the 21164 microprocessor and system.
A 14.3-MHz crystal and frequency generator provide a clock source for ISA
devices.
• Serial ROM
A Xilinx XC17128 serial ROM (SROM) contains initial code that is loaded
into the 21164 instruction cache (Icache) on power-up. A serial line
interface is also provided to allow direct connection to a terminal line for
debugging purposes.
• Programmable array logic (PAL) devices for the following functions:
One PAL for utility bus (Ubus) decoding
One PAL for interrupts
Two PAL devices for memory row address strobe (RAS) bank generation
and buffering
1–4 Introduction to the EB164

1.1 System Components and Features
1.1.7 Software Support
Software support code, consisting of a debug monitor and Windows NT ARC
firmware is contained in a 1MB flash ROM. The monitor provides functions
that allow you to:
• Download files through serial and Ethernet ports and diskette.
• Load data from a ROM through the debug monitor.
• Examine and deposit the EB164 system registers, a few 21164 internal
processor registers (IPRs), and I/O mapped registers.
• Examine and modify DRAM and I/O mapped memory.
• Disassemble CPU instructions in memory.
• Transfer control to programs in memory.
• Perform native debugging operations, including breakpoints and single
stepping.
• Perform full source-level debugging operations by using DECladebug
software running on a host communicating through an Ethernet
connection.
• Perform a memory image dump.
1.1.8 Component Layout
Figure 1–2 shows the EB164 board component layout and dimensions.
Introduction to the EB164 1–5

1.1 System Components and Features
Figure 1–2 Board Component Layout
MK−2306−32
11
1
1
2
34 56
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
1
(13.05 in)
33.15 cm
(12.10 in)
30.73 cm
1.2 EB164 Summary
The features of the EB164 are listed and described in Table 1–2.
1–6 Introduction to the EB164

1.2 EB164 Summary
Table 1–2 EB164 Features Summary
Characteristic Description
Operating Systems
Supported operating
systems Microsoft Windows NT. For information on Digital UNIX operating system support, see your local distributor or your
Digital sales representative.
System Characteristics
CPU and clock speed Digital Semiconductor 21164 Alpha microprocessor at 266,
300, or 333 MHz
CPU upgradable ZIF socket for 21164 upgrade
Instruction issue Up to 4 instructions issued per clock cycle
Word size 64 bits
Address size 40-bit physical address, 43-bit virtual address
Floating-point format VAX (F and G) and IEEE (S and T) data types
Memory (DRAM)1Minimum DRAM 32MB plus ECC
Maximum DRAM 512MB plus ECC
Memory (ROM) 1MB flash ROM
External L2 cache Configurable for 2MB, 4MB, 8MB (128-bit data)
Memory bus width 256 bits plus ECC
Performance metrics The EB164 performance is listed here:
21164 Bcache SPECint92 SPECfp92
266 MHZ 2MB, 10ns 300.6 417.4
300 MHZ 2MB, 10ns 335
(estimated) 460 (estimated)
333 MHZ 2MB, 10ns 365.2 518
Graphics
Graphics options Refer to the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List for
Windows NT to determine which graphics cards are
supported. See Section B.4 for information on how to obtain
the listing.
1Minimum DRAM recommended: 32MB for Windows NT and Digital UNIX.
(continued on next page)
Introduction to the EB164 1–7

1.2 EB164 Summary
Table 1–2 (Cont.) EB164 Features Summary
Characteristic Description
Input/Output
Input device interfaces PS/2 style keyboard and mouse
Serial Two RS423-compatible (9-position) serial communications
ports
Parallel One parallel (Centronics compatible) communications port
Bus options Total of 6 option slots
PCI bus Supports two 64-bit PCI options slots at 5V and two 32-bit
PCI option slots at 5V
ISA bus Supports three 16-bit ISA option slots
IDE One IDE interface supporting up to 2 drives
Diskette One 82077-compatible diskette controller supporting up to 2
drives with 1.44MB and 2.88MB formats
Environmental Characteristics (Operating)
Operating temperature 10°C to 40°C (50°F to 104°F)
Maximum rate of (dry
bulb) temperature
change
11°C/hour
6 2°C/hour (20°F/hour 6 4°F/hour)
Relative humidity
Maximum wet bulb
Minimum dew point
10%–90% noncondensing
32°C (90°F)
2°C (36°F)
EMC compliance Compliance certification is the responsibility of the system
integrator. The EB164 was tested in industry-representative
enclosures to prove feasibility of emissions compliance.
Shock and vibration Passing of shock and vibration tests is dependent on the
method used to mount the system board, the design of the
enclosure, and how the enclosure is supported. Testing is
the responsibility of the system integrator.
Physical Characteristics
Form factor Standard, full-size PC AT board
Width/depth 30.73 cm (12.10 in) 2 33.15 cm (13.05 in)
1–8 Introduction to the EB164

2
System Configuration and Connectors
The EB164 uses jumpers to implement configuration parameters such
as variations in backup cache (Bcache) size, access timing, and speed, as
well as boot parameters. These jumpers must be configured for the user’s
environment. Onboard connectors are provided for the I/O interfaces, single
inline memory modules (SIMMs), and serial and parallel peripheral ports.
After the module is configured, power can be applied, and the debug monitor
can be run. The debug monitor and its commands are described in the Alpha
Microprocessors Evaluation Board Debug Monitor User’s Guide. Appendix B
provides information about other software design tools.
2.1 Configuration Jumpers
Figure 2–1 identifies the location of the software and hardware configuration
jumpers, and Table 2–1 provides descriptions. Figure 2–2 provides a detailed
view of the configuration jumpers and their function.
System Configuration and Connectors 2–1

2.1 Configuration Jumpers
Figure 2–1 EB164 Jumper Locations
MK−2306−30
11
J1
1
J14
J17
J16
J15
1
2–2 System Configuration and Connectors

2.1 Configuration Jumpers
Figure 2–2 Configuration Jumpers
J1 irq3 1
2
3
index22
index21
index20
J17
J16
J15
MK−2306−04
BC_SIZE<2>
BC_SIZE<1>
BC_SIZE<0>
BC_SPEED<2>
BC_SPEED<1>
BC_SPEED<0>
Mini−Debugger
BOOT_OPTION
BC_RD_FAST
Reserved
Reserved
irq0
irq1
irq2
Reserved
Reserved
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
33
35
37
39
J14 Flash ROM
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Write Protect/
Write Enable
Reserved
Reserved
CONF4
CONF5
CONF6
CONF7
CONF8
CONF9
CONF10
CONF11
CONF12
CONF13
CONF14
CONF15
Reserved
System Configuration and Connectors 2–3

2.1 Configuration Jumpers
Table 2–1 Configuration Jumper Position Descriptions
Feature Jack/Jumper—Pins and Description
System clock
divisor J1—1/2, —3/4, —5/6, —7/8
J1—1/2
(irq3) J1—3/4 (irq2) J1—5/6 (irq1) J1—7/8 (irq0) Ratio
In In Out Out 3
In Out In In 4
In Out In Out 5
In Out Out In 6
In Out Out Out 7
Out In In In 8
Divisor 8 is used for 266 MHz.
Out In In Out 9
Divisor 9 is used for 300 MHz.
Out In Out In 10
Divisor 10 is used for 333 MHz.
Out In Out Out 11
Out Out In In 12
Out Out In Out 13
Out Out Out In 14
Out Out Out Out 15
(continued on next page)
2–4 System Configuration and Connectors