[Info-vax] Alphaserver service/repair recommendations

[John E. Malmberg]

On 2/13/2016 7:41 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2016-02-14 01:01:24 +0000, rcyoung said:
>
>> Update: error message noted before is back....infinitely
>> repeating.......with no drives in system.
>
> Nobody is going to service this box cheaply.   Unfortunately, at least
> some of the savings from having this ~twenty-year-old computer not
> covered under a service contract just came due, obviously.
>
> 660 is a machine check from somewhere external to the processor.   Time
> to play mastermind with the parts that you have, and see if you can
> localize the error to some component, by swapping memory, etc.
>
> Downside: playing mastermind here might fry more ports.

<snip>

When I had a heard of Alphaserver 2100 systems, we noticed that the 
cpu/memory boards had to be very firmly seated in them or we could get 
unstable behavior.

By firmly, I mean not just pushing the tabs down all the way, but to 
actually push the board down in the middle of the of the top edge of the 
board.  If that was not done, it would run for a while and then start 
having hardware errors.

Unless something is tied to that model though, to repeat what others 
have said, a fork lift replacement for something less old may be the 
cheapest fix.

Regards,
-John
wb8tyw at qsl.network