[mod.computers.vax] IVECS card from Bridge

ZEFFI@FINABO.BITNET.UUCP (03/05/87)

We have had an IVECS card in our VAX-11/785 since november 1986. It is
configured to simulate 6 DMF-controllers (48 ports). We had problems
from the very beginning with this card. Sometimes the card rebooted
itself throwing all the users out from the machine. It seems that the
reboot had something to do with the boot of the VMS, because it always
happened 1-2 days after the VMS boot.

We got a new card from Bridge (via Nokia, their representant in
Finland) and then in January the reboot didn't longer occur. Instead
of booting itself it got all locked up. We had to open the unibus
cabinet and boot the Ivecs card with the boot switch on the card.
Sometimes the card was so confused that the switch didn't help, we had
to power the unibus down to make the Ivecs card boot. This card is
also replaced 2 or 3 times.

We have also had the same problems that Yehavi Bourvine mentioned in
his notice: after a while (a couple of days, maybe a week) some of the
ports didn't work anymore, they accepted data and started the
login-process but the user didn't see any output coming from the port.

Bridge told us that it will work ok with 4.5 (that's what we are
running) so the problem is not with VMS.

I checked the actual configuration (sysgen SHOW/CONFIG) with the
configuration VMS wants (sysgen CONFIG) and got the following reults:
(we have already a DMF32-card in the VAX making the total number of
DMFs = 7)

SYSGEN>  SHOW/CONF
        System CSR and Vectors on  5-MAR-1987 09:23:30.98

 Name: PUA  Units: 1  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 772150  Vector1: 774  Vector2: 000
 Name: PTA  Units: 1  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 774500  Vector1: 260  Vector2: 000
 Name: XGA  Units: 1  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760404  Vector1: 310  Vector2: 314
 Name: TXA  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760414  Vector1: 330  Vector2: 334
 Name: LCA  Units: 1  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760424  Vector1: 340  Vector2: 000
 Name: TXB  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760454  Vector1: 370  Vector2: 374
 Name: TXC  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760514  Vector1: 430  Vector2: 434
 Name: TXD  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760554  Vector1: 470  Vector2: 474
 Name: TXE  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760614  Vector1: 530  Vector2: 534
 Name: TXF  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760654  Vector1: 570  Vector2: 574
 Name: TXG  Units: 8  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760714  Vector1: 630  Vector2: 634
 Name: TXH  Units: 16 Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 761040  Vector1: 650  Vector2: 654
 Name: TXI  Units: 16 Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 761060  Vector1: 660  Vector2: 664
 Name: XNA  Units: 1  Nexus:3  (UBA) CSR: 760050  Vector1: 300  Vector2: 304

SYSGEN>  CONFIG
DEVICE> dmf32,7
DEVICE> dhv11,2
DEVICE> dup11
DEVICE> ^Z
Device: DUP11   Name: XWA        CSR: 760050*    Vector: 300*   Support: no
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760400*    Vector: 310*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760440*    Vector: 350*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760500*    Vector: 410*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760540*    Vector: 450*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760600*    Vector: 510*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760640*    Vector: 550*   Support: yes
Device: DMF32   Name: COMB       CSR: 760700*    Vector: 610*   Support: yes
Device: DHV11   Name: TXA        CSR: 761040*    Vector: 650*   Support: yes
Device: DHV11   Name: TXB        CSR: 761060*    Vector: 660*   Support: yes
SYSGEN> ^Z

VMS want the CSR of the first DMF on the IVECS card (TXB) to be 760440
and it is configured according to this, but the actual configuration
shows that it is 760454. You can only configure the IVECS CSR
addresses in increments of 40 (octal), 760400, 760440, 760500...

The errorlog shows up some SSYN timeouts on the UNIBUS (we have had 5
of them, the first one from 16-feb-1987) and they look like this:

 **************************** ENTRY       9. ****************************
 ERROR SEQUENCE 810.                               LOGGED ON SID 018817CD

 "DW" INTERRUPT  16-FEB-1987 18:43:35.89
                 KA785  REV# 2.0  SERIAL# 1997.  MFG PLANT 1.

       ERROR PC        80209C17

       ERROR PSL       04080000
                                       INTERRUPT PRIORITY LEVEL = 08.
                                       PREVIOUS MODE = KERNEL
                                       CURRENT MODE  = KERNEL
                                       INTERRUPT STACK

       ADAPTER TR# 3.

       "DW" CSR        00000028

                                       ADAPTER IS UBA 0.
       "DW" CR         0000007C
                                       CONFIGURATION INTERRUPT ENABLE
                                       SBI TO UNIBUS ERROR INT ENABLE
                                       UNIBUS TO SBI ERROR INT ENABLE
                                       BR INTERRUPT ENABLE
                                       INTERRUPT FIELD SWITCH
       "DW" SR         00000001
                                       UNIBUS 'SSYN' TIMEOUT
       "DW" DCR        08000028
       "DW" FMER       00000000
       "DW" FUBAR      0000F86B
                                       UNIBUS ADDRESS = 76065X (OCTAL)


........

so..... is there somebody out there who can give us some hints on what
is the source of our problems with the IVECS card...

                                        --zeffi
                                        Stefan Kronberg
                                        Abo Akademi
                                        Computing Centre
                                        Fanriksgatan 3B
                                        SF-20500 Abo
                                        FINLAND

Bitnet-address: ZEFFI@FINABO.BITNET