[Info-vax] Alpha CPU revision & serial number, blank?

[VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG]

In article <FHGJ+AC7fn3Z at eisner.encompasserve.org>, koehler at eisner.nospam.encompasserve.org (Bob Koehler) writes:
>In article <4ef11a62$0$6943$e4fe514c at news2.news.xs4all.nl>, MG <marcogbNO at SPAMxs4all.nl> writes:
>> 
>> My guess is that the revision and serial number information was mostly
>> added there to identify IA-64 (and possibly later Alpha) processors?
>
>   The serial number of a VAX 11/780 was readable from the system ID
>   register.  I haven't seen such since VAX-11, but I'd not be surprized
>   if it was there on an 8000 series VAX with an SBI.

That system ID register maintaining a serial number became extinct 
early on in the VAX life-cycle.  Newer VAX models maintained a type
code instead of a serial number.  That caused many third-parties to
use things like the ethernet address to tie their software to a box.
That became a real nightmare when the device went south and needed
to be replaced.  At least with most of DEC's early ethernet control-
lers there was an ID chip that could be removed from a socket on the
old board and used to supplant the chip on a replacement.
-- 
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