[Info-vax] DEC 3000/900 bootup problem

[Vance Haemmerle]

johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> On Jan 8, 11:00 am, Vance Haemmerle <va... at toyvax.Glendale.CA.US>
> wrote:
> 
>>Vance Haemmerle wrote:
>>
>>>johnwalla... at yahoo.co.uk wrote:
>>
>>>>On Jan 5, 10:46 am, Vance Haemmerle <va... at toyvax.Glendale.CA.US>
>>>>wrote:
>>
>>>>>It looks like the sun has set on my 3000/900 system.
>>>>>After removing and backing up my disks on another
>>>>>system (the system disk had one problem with a decw font
>>>>>that had a lost header - which I recovered from a backup
>>>>>and then it passed ANALYSE/DISK), now my system has a scsi
>>>>>hardware error on power up (?? 002 0008).  The console
>>>>>"test scsi" fails the data Trans test...
>>
>>>>>? T-ERR-SCSI A - Data Trans Test - nondma/virt inq data miscompare
>>
>>>>>but "show device" correctly sees all the drives and sizes.  I
>>>>>removed all the drives I had pulled before and I still get the
>>>>>error. Perhaps I did something to the cables though they seem ok.
>>
>>>>>--
>>>>>Vance Haemmerle
>>
>>>>Before you write this off forever...
>>
>>>>Have you done the obvious things like reseating memory (and, if
>>>>appropriate, IO) cards?
>>
>>>>Is there a more in-depth memory diagnostic on this box than the power-
>>>>on default check?
>>
>>>>Although it's been said earlier that "you've proved that the hardware
>>>>isn't at fault", that's not strictly true - you've just shown that the
>>>>hardware doesn't have any problems picked up by simple diagnostics.
>>
>>>>Others may well have other suggestions but those would be my first
>>>>recommendations.
>>
>>>  I did remove and reseat the memory.  I also put an external
>>>tape drive on the B (external bus) and it also showed a data
>>>trans test failure.  If the internal bus and external bus
>>>are completely cable separate (I believe they are) this may
>>>point to a controller problem.  Perhaps I disturbed it when
>>>I cleaned out dust from the system.
>>
>>>  There is an extensive memory test available from the
>>>SRM console ("test mem") that does read/write and address tests
>>>all of which pass.
>>
>>>--
>>>Vance Haemmerle
>>
>>   I got a hold of a copy of the DEC 3000 600/600S/800/800S
>>Service manual.  Seeing where the Scsi controllers are makes
>>me think that cleaning the dust was not the reason as I did
>>not clean near the I/O board where both the scsi controller
>>and the battery backed TOY/NVR chip are.  In fact they are
>>on a board where the mounted components face inward and are
>>not exposed.
>>
>>--
>>Vance Haemmerle
> 
> 
> OK, so given your last two posts you've done all the sensible stuff I
> can think of. The sensible stuff which the system designers could
> think of is covered in things like the DEC 3000 800/900 Owners Guide
> eg at http://vt100.net/mirror/mds-199909/cd1/alpha/flmulogb.pdf You've
> apparently also got the 3000 600/800 Service Guide (which I can't
> actually find right now?) which I ass*u*me covers the same ground and
> more. Was a 3000 Model 900 largely a Model 800 with an EV45 instead of
> EV4? I'm thinking so, but would welcome confirmation.
> 
> If you feel that you've gone as far as you can with the built in SCSI
> and still want to keep this box, you might want to check out the
> possibility of getting a TURBOchannel SCSI card to replace the
> embedded SCSI. Check with a VMS SPD of the relevant era, it would be a
> PMAZ or similar iirc.
> 
> Good luck.


   I found the Service Guide in the same place...

  http://vt100.net/mirror/mds-199909/cd1/alpha/flspcsva.pdf

   Yes, as far as I know the only difference between the 800 and 900
is the processor speed (200 vs. 275MHz).

   I think instead of getting a TURBOchannel SCSI card I will try and
get a replacement I/O board (part 54-21147-02).  I tried reseating it
(as well as the DALLAS battery/RAM chip - boy was that hard to remove!)
and it made no difference.

--
Vance Haemmerle