IBM 150, 260 User Manual

RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Handbook

Volker Haug, Adnan Ikram, Heather Osbourne

International Technical Support Organization

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com

SG24-5144-00

SG24-5144-00

International Technical Support Organization

RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Handbook

October 1998

Take Note!

Before using this information and the products it supports, be sure to re ad the general infor mation in

Appendix B, “Special Notices” on page 247.

First Edition (October 1998 )

This edition applies to the RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 workstations and workgroup servers
for use with AIX Version 4.2.1, AIX Version 4.3.2, and subsequent r eleases o f t he operati ng syste m.

Comments may be addressed to:
IBM Corporation, Internation al Technical Support Organization
Dept. JN9B Building 045 Interna l Zip 2834
11400 Burnet Road
Austin, Texas 78758-3493

When you send information to IBM, you gra nt I BM a non-exclusive right to use or di strib ute t he
information in any way it belie ves appropr iate without incur ring any ob ligati on to you.

© Copyright International Business Machines Corpora tion 1998. All rights reserved

Note to U.S Government Users – Do cum entation r elated to r estric ted righ ts – Us e, duplication or dis closu re is
subject to restrictions set forth in GSA ADP Sc hedule Contra ct with IBM Co rp .

Contents

Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii

The Team That Wrote This Redbook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Comments Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Chapter 1. RS/6000 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.1 RS/6000 Workstation Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

1.3 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

1.3.1 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Key Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1.3.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Feature Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . .5

1.4 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

1.4.1 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Key Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

1.4.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Feature Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . .8

1.5 Performance Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

1.5.1 SPEC95 Software Benchmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

1.5.2 Performance Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

1.6 Industry Trends and Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

1.6.1 Microprocessor Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

1.6.2 Universal Serial Bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

1.6.3 The Accelerated Graphics Port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

1.6.4 IEEE 1394 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

1.7 Workgroup Conferencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

1.8 Year 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Chapter 2. Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2.1 The RS/6000 Platform Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2.1.1 The RS/6000 Platform Architecture Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2.1.2 Platform Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

2.1.3 RS/6000 Platform Architecture Achievements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

2.1.4 RPA Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

2.2 The Hardware Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

2.2.1 Hardware Design for the RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150. . . . . . .26

2.2.2 Hardware Design for the RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260. . . . . . .29

2.3 Bus Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

2.3.1 The PCI Bus Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

2.3.2 The ISA Bus Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

2.3.3 The 60X and 6XX Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 iii

2.3.4 The 6XX-MX I/O Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

2.3.5 The X-Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

2.4 The Processor Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

2.4.1 The POWER3 Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

2.4.2 The PowerPC 604e Microprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

2.5 SMP Hardware Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

2.5.1 Memory Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Chapter 3. Detailed Product Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

3.1 IBM RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Product Description. . . . . . . . . . .49

3.1.1 Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

3.1.2 Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS). . . . . . . . . . . . .56

3.1.3 Supported Optional Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

3.1.4 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Adapter Placement Guidelines . . 66

3.1.5 Service Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

3.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

3.2.1 Model 260 System Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3.2.2 Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3.2.3 Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS). . . . . . . . . . . . .79

3.2.4 Supported Optional Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

3.2.5 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Adapter Placement Guidelines . . 92

3.2.6 Service Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

3.3 IBM Multimedia Kit for RS/6000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Chapter 4. Storage Architectures and Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

4.1 Storage Boot Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

4.2 SCSI Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

4.2.1 SCSI-I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

4.2.2 SCSI-II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

4.2.3 SCSI-III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

4.2.4 SCSI Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

4.2.5 SCSI Repeaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

4.2.6 Summary of SCSI Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

4.3 SCSI Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

4.3.1 General SCSI Cabling Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

4.3.2 Cabling the PCI Single-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter . . . . . . . . . . 109

4.3.3 Cabling the PCI Differential-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter . . . . . . 113

4.4 Serial Storage Architecture Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

4.5 Comparison between SCSI and SSA Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

4.6 Internal SCSI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

4.6.1 Disk Drives for the Model 150 and Model 260. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

4.6.2 Internal CD-ROM Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

4.6.3 Internal Tape Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

iv RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbo ok

4.7 Internal SSA devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

4.8 PCI Storage Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

4.8.1 SCSI Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

4.8.2 SSA Adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

4.8.3 Storage Adapter Placement Guidelines for Model 150 and 260 126

4.9 External SCSI and SSA Storage Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Chapter 5. Adapters, Overview and Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

5.1 Communication Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

5.1.1 Token-Ring Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

5.1.2 Ethernet Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

5.1.3 ISDN Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

5.1.4 FDDI Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

5.1.5 ATM Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

5.1.6 Multiple Port Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

5.1.7 WAN Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

5.1.8 Miscellaneous Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

5.2 Graphics Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

5.2.1 POWER GXT120P (# 2838) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

5.2.2 POWER GXT250P (# 2851) and POWER GXT255P (# 2852) . 136

5.2.3 POWER GXT550P (# 2845) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

5.2.4 POWER GXT3000P Graphics Accelerator (# 2825) . . . . . . . . . 138

5.2.5 Graphics Adapter Feature Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

5.2.6 Graphics Adapters Attachment Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

5.2.7 Multiple Adapter Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

5.2.8 Accessing the Second Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

5.3 Adapter and Device Configuration on PCI-Based RS/6000 Systems 146

5.3.1 Device Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

5.3.2 PCI Adapter Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

5.4 Summary Chart of Adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Chapter 6. Diagnostics and System Management Services . . . . . . . 155

6.1 Diagnostics Operating Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

6.2 Stand-Alone Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

6.2.1 Booting the Stand-Alone Diagnostics CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . .157

6.2.2 Running Stand-Alone Diagnostics in Concurrent Mode . . . . . . . 158

6.3 On-line Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

6.3.1 Service Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

6.3.2 Concurrent Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

6.3.3 Single-User Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

6.4 Diagnostic Tasks and Service Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

6.5 Understanding the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

6.5.1 General RS/6000 Boot Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

v

6.5.2 Typical Boot Sequence for RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 . . . . 167

6.5.3 Typical Boot Sequence for RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 . . . . 168

6.6 Power-On Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

6.6.1 Processor POST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

6.6.2 Memory DIMM and L2 Cache POST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

6.6.3 Graphics Adapter POST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

6.6.4 Keyboard and Mouse Controller POST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

6.6.5 SCSI Subsystem POST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

6.7 System Management Services (SMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

6.7.1 SMS Start-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

6.7.2 SMS Graphical Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

6.7.3 SMS ASCII Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

6.7.4 SMS Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

6.7.5 SMS Firmware Checkpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

Chapter 7. Service Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

7.1 Introduction to the Service Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

7.2 Customize and Access the Service Processor Menus . . . . . . . . . . . 186

7.2.1 How to Customize the Service Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

7.2.2 How to Access Service Processor Menus Locally. . . . . . . . . . .187

7.2.3 How to Access Service Processor Menus Remotely. . . . . . . . . 187

7.3 Security Within the Service Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

7.4 Service Processor Operational Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

7.4.1 Pre-Standby Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

7.4.2 Standby Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

7.4.3 Bring-Up Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

7.4.4 Run-time Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

7.5 Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

7.5.1 Service Processor Setup Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

7.5.2 System Power Control Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195

7.5.3 System Information Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

7.5.4 Language Selection Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

7.5.5 CALL-IN/CALL-OUT Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

7.5.6 Set System Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

7.6 General User Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

7.6.1 Power-On System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

7.6.2 Read VPD Image from Last System Boot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

7.6.3 Read Progress Indicators from Last System Boot. . . . . . . . . . . 210

7.6.4 Read Service Processor Error Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

7.6.5 Read System POST Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

7.6.6 View System Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

7.7 Service Processor Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

7.7.1 Updating Firmware from the Service Processor Menus. . . . . . . 211

vi RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbo ok

7.7.2 Updating Firmware from the SMS Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

7.7.3 Updating Firmware from the Service Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

7.7.4 Updating Firmware from AIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

7.8 Service Processor Checkpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Chapter 8. Hints and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

8.1 Electronic Key-Switch Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

8.1.1

bootlist Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

8.2 Entering Debug Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

8.3 Backup and Cloning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216

8.3.1 The

bootinfo Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

8.3.2 Creating a System Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

8.3.3 Restoring Your System Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

8.3.4 Cloning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

8.3.5 Cloning on AIX Version 4.2 and 4.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223

8.4 Configuration Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227

8.4.1 Information about the Processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

8.4.2 Information about the Service Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

8.4.3 Information about the Environmental Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

8.5 Network Boot Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236

8.6 Using the Error Logging Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

8.7 Booting Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

8.7.1 Booting from CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

8.7.2 System Hangs during AIX Boot Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

8.7.3 Recovering a System with No Bootable Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Appendix A. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

A.1 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 Key Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

A.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 Feature Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

A.3 Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

A.4 Supported Optional Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

A.4.1 Storage Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

A.4.2 AIX Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

A.4.3 Year 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Appendix B. Special Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Appendix C. Related Publications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

C.1 International Technical Support Organization Publications . . . . . . . . . . 251

C.2 Redbooks on CD-ROMs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

C.3 Other Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

C.4 Web Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

vii

How to Get ITSO Redb ook s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253

How IBM Employees Can Get ITSO Redbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

How Customers Can Get ITSO Redbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

IBM Redbook Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

List of Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

ITSO Redbook Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267

viii RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Ha ndb ook

Figures

1. RS/6000 PCI Workstation/Server Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 (without Peripherals). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 (without Peripherals). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4. IEEE 1394 Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5. RS/6000 Hardware for Workgroup Conferencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

6. RS/6000 Models 150 and 260 are Year 2000 Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

7. General Platform Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

8. Planar Block Diagram of the RS/6000 Model 150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

9. RS/6000 High Level System Block Diagram (Model 260) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

10. POWER3 Microprocessor Logical Block Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

11. PowerPC 604e Microprocessor Logical Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

12. Memory Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

13. The 4-Way Set Associative PowerPC/POWER2 L1 Data Cache . . . . . . . 41

14. The 128-Way Set Associative POWER3 L1 Data Cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

15. Loading Instructions from Memory to a Floating-Point Register . . . . . . . . 43

16. SMP Cache Coherency Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

17. False Sharing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

18. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 (with Peripherals) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

19. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 - System Board Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

20. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 - Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

21. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 - Rear View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

22. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 (with Peripherals, and Spaceball). . . . . . . 68

23. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - System Planar & I/O Board . . . . . . . . . . 71

24. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Operator Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

25. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

26. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Rear View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

27. Slot Configuration on Memory Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

28. Model 150 with Multimedia Kit for RS/6000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

29. SCSI III Standards Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

30. SCSI Differential Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

31. Piggy Back Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

32. Differential External Narrow Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

33. Differential External Wide Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

34. Comparison between SCSI and SSA Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

35. Devices Location Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

36. System Management Services - Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

37. SMS Submenu Multiboot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

38. SMS Submenu Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

39. SMS Submenu - Firmware Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

40. Service Processor - Operational Phase Status Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 ix

41. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

x RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbook

Tables

1. SPEC and LINPACK Performance.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2. Multiuser Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3. RPA Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4. PowerPC and Bus Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

5. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 - System Board Components Location. . . 52

6. Publications Shipped with the Model 150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

7. Optional Memory for Model 150. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

8. List of Orderable Monitors for Model 150. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

9. Adapter Placement Guidelines for Model 150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

10. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - System Planar & I/O Board Components 71

11. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Operator Panel Components . . . . . . . . . 73

12. Storage Device Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

13. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Rear View Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

14. Publications Shipped with the Model 260 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

15. Available Publications for Model 260. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

16. List of Orderable Monitors for Model 260. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

17. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 - Adapter Placement Guidelines. . . . . . . . 93

18. Overview of SCSI-III Standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

19. Differential SCSI Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

20. Single-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter-to-First Device Cables. . . . . . . . . . . . 111

21. Device-to-Device Cables for Single-Ended Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

22. 16-Bit SCSI-II System-To-System Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

23. Terminators for Single-Ended Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

24. Differential-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter-to-First Device Cables . . . . . . . . 114

25. Device-to-Device Cables for Differential-Ended Installations . . . . . . . . . 114

26. Terminator For Description-Ended Installations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

27. Cabling for the PCI Differential Ultra SCSI Adapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

28. Comparing SSA and SCSI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

29. Internal Disk Drives for the Models 150 and 260. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

30. Internal CD-ROM Drives for Models 150 and 260 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

31. Internal Tape Drive for Model 150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

32. Internal Tape Drives for Model 260 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

33. Placement of PCI Storage Adapters into the Models 150 and 260 . . . . . 126

34. Graphics Adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

35. Display Cable Feature Code Matrix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

36. Accessing a Second Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

37. Communication, Graphics, and Storage Adapters Summary . . . . . . . . . 152

38. Settings of Privileged and General Access Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

39. Valid Serial Port Speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

40. Results of bootinfo -p. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 xi

41. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 Standard Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

42. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 System Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

xii RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 an d 26 0 Handb ook

Preface

In an effort to provide customers with suitable products and solutions to help
their business grow, IBM announced in October of 1998 two new additions to
its RS/6000 workstation family. They are the RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150
and 260. These products are an enhancement to the current line of entry
workstations that are ready for your mission-critical business applications.

This redbook gives a detailed understanding of the RS/6000 43P 7043
Models 150 and 260, providing all the technical information that is generally
requested by decision-makers during the pre-sale cycle. It is suitable as a
single-source of reference for both technical and non-technical professionals
and may therefore be useful to:

• Customers

• System administrators

• System engineers

• Customer engineers
The reader will find:

• An overview of the RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260

• Discussion of hardware architecture

• Detailed product descr iption

• Information on storage and communication features

• Discussion on diagnostics and the service processor
Availability, reliability, and performance features are also described.
The introduction of the RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 will expand

the range of possible applications available on entry level workstations,
providing industry-leading performance at an affordable price.

The Team That Wrote This Redbook

This redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world
working at the International Technical Support Organization Austin Center.

Volker Haug is an Advisory I/T Specialist in Stuttgart, Germany. He has eight
years of experience in the RS/6000 and AIX field. He holds a degree in
Business Management from the Berufsakademie in Stuttgart. Volker has

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 xiii

worked with UNIX systems for ten years. His areas of expertise include
RS/6000 workstations and workgroup servers, graphics, and AIX systems
management.

Adnan Ikram is a Product Specialist (AIX, RS/6000, Networking) in Karachi,
Pakistan. He has 3 and 1/2 years of experience in the RS/6000 and AIX field.
He holds a degree in Electronics (B.E.) from NED University of Engineering
and Technology, Karachi. Adnan has worked with UNIX systems for eight
years. His areas of expertise include technical marketing and support of the
RS/6000 product family, along with second level AIX support. He is also

involved in conducting AIX courses from Basic to Advanced levels at IBM’s
Education Center.

Heather Osbourne is an I/T Availability Specialist in Kingston, Jamaica. She
has six years of experience in the RS/6000 and AIX field. She holds a degree
in Computer Science and Physics (B.Sc.) from the University of the West
Indies. Her areas of expertise include AIX support, RS/6000 project services
implementation, networking and communications. She is also involved in
conducting AIX courses from Basic to Advanced levels at IBM’s Education
Center.

The project that produced this publication was coordinated by:
Scott Vetter International Tec hnical Support Organization, Austin

Center

We would also like to acknowledge the professionals who took the time to
provide invaluable advice and guidance during this project:

Aranda, Ricardo IBM Austin
Arroyo, Ron IBM Austin
Baldwin , Wayne IBM Austin
Bluethman, Robert IBM Austin
Bringol, Ron IBM Austin
Capps, Louis IBM Austin
Gschell, Verena IBM Munich
Goodman, Marvin IBM Austin
Henson, Tracey IBM Austin
James, Joey V. IBM Austin
Lehmann, Norma IBM Austin
Maule, Warren IBM Austin

xiv RS/6000 43P 7043 Mo dels 15 0 an d 260 Ha ndboo k

Nguyen, Thoi IBM Austin
Patel, Raj IBM Austin
Peterson, Earl IBM Austin
Randall, Dave IBM Austin
Thurber, Steve IBM Austin
Walton, Scott IBM Austin

Comments Welcome

Your comments are important to us!

We want our redbooks to be as helpful as possible. Please send us your
comments about this or other redbooks in one of the following ways:

• Fax the evaluation form found in “ITSO Redbook Evaluation” on page 267
to the fax number shown on the form.

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http://www.redbook s.ibm.com

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• Send us a note at the following address:

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xv

xvi RS/6000 43P 7043 Mo dels 15 0 an d 260 Ha ndboo k

Chapter 1. RS/6000 Introduction

Throughout 1997 IBM greatly simplified its RS/6000 product line by
eliminating redundant offerings and introducing new models that cover a
broad range of price and performance. In 1998, IBM continued this mission
by enhancing its server line with better performance and by offering bundled
solutions that target high availability markets and customers requiring
outstanding graphics performance.

The RS/6000 family is a scalable, compatible line of RISC UNIX workstations,
servers, and supercomputers that are reshaping the way companies operate.
This economical family of systems fulfills the computing requirements of
many small businesses, workgroups, and large enterprises. Powered by
IBM’s award winning AIX operating system, the RS/6000 has the advanced
technology and architecture needed to grow and adapt to your customer’s
ever changing workloads.

This publication covers the IBM RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260
entry-level and technical workstations. The RS/6000 Models 150 and 260 are

workstations that are intended to enhance the RS/6000 family’s competitive
product line for the price-conscious UNIX market. The RS/6000 Models 150
and 260 are the systems targeted toward those customers looking for a
reliable, highly expandable system.

1.1 RS/6000 Workstation O fferings

Figure 1 on page 2 shows the current range of IBM RS/6000 PCI-based
workstation and server offerings. The workstations that are the topic of this
publication are shown in the shaded area.

The selected workstations share the following characteristics:

• Powered by the PowerPC 604e and POWER3

• Contain PCI adapter slots

• Offer more performance than the Model 140

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998 1

•

Figure 1. RS/6000 PCI Workstation/Server Family

The RS/6000 naming convention is patterned similarly to many of IBM’s
product lines. A product is represented as a four digit machine code followed
by a model number. A unique machine code is assigned to each series of
machines that fit together using similar designs or customer solutions. The
first character of the model number groups machines with a specific
enclosure together, and the remaining digits are typically used to indicate
performance within similar models. This convention is not without variations.
However, with this in mind, you can determine that the Models 140 and 150
are related, with the 150 being more powerful. This is also valid for the
Models 240 and 260.

2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbook

The following sections provide an overview of the models that are the subject
of this publication.

1.2 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 Overview

The main purpose of summarizing the IBM RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 in
this publication is to provide you with some background of this system. The
Model 140 is one of the most successful RS/6000 products that IBM has
announced in the workstation marketplace. Over 10,000 applications are
supported on this platform.

On October 6, 1997, IBM announced the PowerPC 604e 332 MHz
microprocessor option for the RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140 as a new
member of the RS/6000 workstation and server family. The PowerPC 604e
332 MHz microprocessor is an easy upgrade from the current microprocessor
available with 200 MHz and 233 MHz processor options. The PowerPC 604e
332 MHz microprocessor option shows IBM’s commitment to improve the
value of its products and to protect existing investment.

More detailed information about the Model 140 can be found in Appendix A,

“RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 140” on page 241.

1.3 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 Overview

The IBM RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 is an entry-level desktop RS/6000
workstation or workgroup server offered at an affordable price. The Model
150 provides a continuation of the successful line of entry workstations,
offering enhanced performance over the Model 140.

The Model 150 is a uni-processor system that provides enhanced
performance by utilizing a 375 MHz PowerPC 604e processor and an
enhanced memory controller. With this memory controller, the Model 150
uses SDRAM memory and an 83 MHz memory bus speed. The system
memory can be expanded up to 1 GB.

With Ethernet and Ultra SCSI controllers integrated on the planar, five PCI
slots and bays, the Model 150 is ready for expansion and growth.

The Model 150 is shown in Figure 2 on page 4.

RS/6000 Introduction 3

Figure 2. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 150 (without Peripherals)

The Model 150 supports a variety of 2D and 3D graphics adapters including
the advanced 3D GXT3000P graphics adapter, providing excellent graphics
price performance. In addition, a robust set of disk drive and communications
features are available. The AIX Version 4.2.1 or 4.3.2 operating system for
one- to two-users is included in the cost of the Model 150 and can be
pre-installed, if desired.

1.3.1 RS/6000 43 P 7043 Model 15 0 Key Attribute s

The following is a list of the key attributes of the RS/6000 Model 150:

• Excellent graphics workstation that is ideal for running MCAD and other
technical applications.

• Powerful server that is ideal for running small-business and departmental
applications.

• Small footprint to fit into your department or work area.

4 RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbook

• UItra SCSI and SSA storage options for improved data transfer
performance and high availability.

• Exceptional AIX operating system with reliability, availability, and
system-management features.

The Model 150 is designed to help customers run many mission-critical
business applications and networks twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week.

1.3.2 RS/6000 43 P 7043 Model 15 0 Feature S ummary

The following is a summary of the key RS/6000 Model 150 features:

• Standard configuration:

• Microprocessor: 375 MHz PowerPC 604e processor

• Level 2 (L2) cache: 1 MB

• RAM (memory): 128 MB of ECC SDRAM memory

• Memory slots: Four

• Ports: One parallel and two serial

• Internal disk drive: 4.5 GB Ultra SCSI disk drive

• Disk/media bays: Five

• Expansion slots: 5 PCI slots

• PCI bus speed: 33 MHz

• Standard features:

• 32X max speed CD-ROM

• 1.44 MB 3.5-inch diskette drive

• Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet controller (IEEE 802.3 compliant)

• Integrated Ultra SCSI controller

• Tablet port

• AIX operating system:

• Version 4.2.1 or Version 4.3.2 (1-2 user server license is standard)

RS/6000 Introduction 5

• System expansion:

• RAM: Up to 1 GB

• Internal storage: 27.3 GB max

• External disk storage:

• Maximum external SCSI with expansion units: Up to 254.8 GB

• Maximum external SSA with expansion units: Up to 873.6 GB

• System dimensions:

• 6.5" H x 16.5" W x 18.1" D (165 mm x 420 mm x 460 mm)

• Weight: 14.5 kg (32 lbs)-Base configuration; 18.0 kg (40 lbs)-Full

featured configuration

• Operating environment

• Temperature: 16 to 32 degrees C (60 to 90 F)

• Relative Humidity: 8 to 80 (percent)

• Operating Voltage: 100 to 125 V AC or 200 to 245 V AC 50/60 Hz

(manual switch)

• Warranty:

• On-site for one year

1.4 RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 Overview

The RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 is a one-way or two-way symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) system with the power to run complex commercial,
business and engineering applications.

The Model 260 provides enhanced performance over its predecessor, the
Model 240, by utilizing a 200 MHz POWER3 processor and an enhanced
memory controller. With this memory controller, the Model 260 uses ECC
SDRAM memory and a 100 MHz memory bus speed. The system memory
can be expanded up to 4 GB.

With Ethernet and Ultra SCSI controllers integrated on the planar, the Model
260 also contains five PCI slots and bays for expansion and growth capability.

Designed with reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features
typically found in higher-priced systems, such as Error Checking and
Correcting (ECC) memory and an integrated service processor, the Model
260 can help keep your mission-critical business, technical applications, and
networks running twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

6 RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbook

Figure 3. RS/6000 43P 7043 Model 260 (without Peripherals)

The Model 260 supports a variety of 2D and 3D graphics adapters including
the advanced 3D GXT3000P graphics adapter, offering excellent graphics
price and performance. In addition, a robust set of disk drive and
communications features are available. The AIX Version 4.2.1 or 4.3.2
operating system for one- to two-users is included in the cost of the Model
260 and can be available pre-installed, if desired.

The Model 260 is an ideal product for customers with a need for either an
entry or mid-range 2D or 3D graphics workstations or as an entry workgroup
server.

1.4.1 RS/6000 43 P 7043 Model 26 0 Key Attribute s

The following is a list of the key attributes of the Model 260.

• Powerful one- to two-way symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) desk-side
server with superior commercial and technical application
price/performance.

RS/6000 Introduction 7

• Outstanding reliability with ECC SDRAM memory and ECC Level 2 (L2)
cache, plus a standard service processor.

• UItra SCSI and SSA storage options for improved data transfer
performance and high availability.

• Enhanced disk bays for improved system availability.

• Exceptional AIX operating system with reliability, availability, and
system-management features.

The Model 260 is specially designed to help customers run many
mission-critical business applications and networks twenty-four hours a day,
seven days a week.

1.4.2 RS/6000 43 P 7043 Model 26 0 Feature S ummary

The following is a summary of the key Model 260 features:

• Standard configuration:

• Microprocessor: 200 MHz POWER3 processor

• Level 1 (L1) cache: 64 KB data / 32 KB instruction

• Level 2 (L2) cache on each processor: 4 MB

• RAM (memory): 260 MB of ECC Synchronous DRAM memory

• Memory slots: Two (each memory card can contain up to 16 DIMMs)

• Ports: One parallel and two serial

• Internal disk drive: 4.5 GB Ultra SCSI disk drive

• Disk/media bays: Five

• Expansion slots: Five PCI slots (Two 64-bit PCI slots and three 32-bit

slots)

• PCI bus speed: 33 MHz for the 32-bit and 50 MHz for the 64-bit slots

• Standard features:

• 32X max speed CD-ROM

• 1.44 MB 3.5-inch diskette drive

• Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet controller (IEEE 802.3 compliant)

• Integrated Ultra SCSI controller

• Tablet port

• AIX operating system:

• Version 4.2.1 or Version 4.3.2 (1-2 user server license is standard)

8 RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 and 260 Han dbook

• System expansion:

• RAM: Up to 4 GB

• Internal storage: 27.3 GB max

• External disk stor age:

• Maximum external SCSI with expansion units: Up to 254.8 GB

• Maximum external SSA with expansion units: Up to 873.6 GB

• System dimensions:

• 24.2" H x 13.4" W x 26.8" D (610 mm x 340 mm x 713 mm)

• Weight: 36.2 kg (80 lbs.) - minimum configuration; 43.9 kg (97 lbs.) -

maximum configuration

• Operating environment

• Temperature: 16 to 32 degrees C (60 to 90 F)

• Relative Humidity: 8 to 80 percent

• Operating Voltage: 100 to 127 V AC or 200 to 240 V AC 50/60 Hz

(autoranging)

• Warranty:

• On-site for one year

1.5 Performance Results

This section contains the results of several industry standard performance
measurements for the RS/6000 Models 150 and 260.

The performance benchmarks and the values shown here were derived using
particular, well configured development-level computer systems. Unless
otherwise indicated for a system, the values were derived using 32-bit
applications and external cache, if external cache is supported on the system.
All performance benchmark values are provided "AS IS" and no warranties or
guarantees are expressed or implied by IBM. Actual system performance
may vary and is dependent upon many factors including system hardware
configuration, and software design and configuration. Buyers should consult
other sources of information to evaluate the performance of systems they are
considering buying and should consider conducting application-oriented
testing. For additional information about the performance benchmarks, values
and systems tested, please contact your IBM local Branch Office or IBM
Authorized Reseller or access the following on the Web:

RS/6000 Introduction 9

SPEC http://www.specben ch.org
Linpack http://www.netlib. no/netlib/benchm ark/performance. ps

Unless otherwise indicated for a system, the performance benchmarks were
conducted using AIX Version 4.2 or Version 4.3. IBM C for AIX Version

4.1.0.1 and XL Fortran Version 5.1.1.1 were the compilers used in the

benchmark tests. The preprocessors used in the benchmark tests include
KAP 3.2 for Fortran and KAP/C 1.4.2 from Kuck & Associates and VAST- 2
Version 4.01X8 from Pacific-Sierra Research. The preprocessors were
purchased separately from these vendors.

1.5.1 SPEC95 Softw are Benchma rk

SPEC95 is the forward step in the performance measurement of the core of
the system. It covers the CPU, caches, memory, and compiler. The programs
and data sets that make up the suite cannot load entirely into cache, making
the benchmark more representative of real workloads. SPEC has also
standardized the compiler settings so that the results for base measurements
are more comparable between suppliers.

SPEC95 is a software benchmark produced by the Standard Performance
Evaluation Corp. (SPEC), a non-profit group of computer vendors, systems
integrators, universities, research organizations, publishers, and consultants
throughout the world. It was designed to provide measures of performance
for comparing computational-intensive workloads on different computers
systems.

SPEC95 contains two suites of benchmarks:
CINT95 Measures and compares computational-intensive integer

performance

CFP95 Meas ures and compares computational-intensive floating point

performance

The two groups of programs are referred to as component-level benchmark
suites because they test the core of the system, CPU, caches, memory, and
compiler, but not the I/O sub-system.

One of the goals of SPEC95 is increased portability; the current offering from
SPEC is for UNIX only, although the member companies have indicated that
the benchmark programs are portable to various flavors of UNIX, Windows
NT, and Open VMS.

10 RS/6000 43P 7043 Models 150 an d 260 Ha ndb ook

SPEC95 introduces a new reference platform against which other systems
are measured, changing from the out-dated VAX 11/780 to a SPARCstation
10/40 with 64 MB memory but without Level 2 cache. This is more
representative of the types of systems being sold today, but it is also a
machine that will beat few, if any, of the machines being benchmarked.

The rules have also changed. Each benchmark must be run a minimum of
three times to get a valid result, with the median time for all runs being used
as the benchmark time.

The SPEC base metric (for example, SPECint_base95) are r equired for all
reported results and have set guidelines for compilation (for example, the
same four flags must be used in the same order for all benchmarks). The
non-base metrics (for example, SPECint95) are optional and have less
restrictive requirements (for example, different compiler options may be used
on each benchmark).

There are several different ways to measure computer performance. One way
is to measure how fast the computer completes a single task. This is a speed
measure. Another way is to measure how many tasks a computer can
accomplish in a certain amount of time. This is called a throughput, capacity,
or rate measure. The SPEC speed metrics (for example, SPECint95) are
used for comparing the ability of a computer to complete single tasks. The
SPEC rate metrics (for example, SPECint_rate95) measure the throughput or
rate of a machine carrying out a number of tasks.

The following SPEC and Linpack benchmarks reflect the performance of the
microprocessor, memory architecture, and compiler of the tested system.

SPECint95 SPEC component-level benchmark that measures

integer performance. Result is the geometric
mean of eight tests that comprise the CINT95
benchmark suite. All of these are written in C
language.

SPECint_base95 The result of the same tests in CINT95 with a

maximum of four compiler flags that must be used
in all eight tests.

SPECint_rate95 Geometric average of the eight SPEC rates from

the SPEC integer tests (CINT95).

SPECint_base_rate95 Geometric average of the eight SPEC rates from

the SPEC integer tests (CINT95) with the
restrictive compiler options.

RS/6000 Introduction 11

SPECfp95 SPEC component-level benchmark that measures

floating point performance. Result is the geometric
mean of ten tests that comprise the CFP95
benchmark suite. All of these are written in
FORTRAN.

SPECfp_base95 Result of the same tests in CFP95 with a

maximum of four compiler flags that must be used
in all ten tests.

SPECfp_rate95 Geometric average of the ten SPEC rates from

SPEC floating point tests (CFP95).

SPECfp_base_rate95 Geometric average of the ten SPEC rates from the

SPEC floating-point tests (CFP95) with the
restrictive compiler options.

SPECweb96 Maximum number of Hypertext Transfer Protocol

(HTTP) operations per second achieved on the
SPECweb96 benchmark without significant
degradation of response time. The Web server
software is ZEUS v1.1 from Zeus Technology Ltd.

LINPACK SP Single pr ecision, n=100 results with AIX XL

FORTRAN compiler with optimization. Units are
megaflops (MFLOPS).

LINPACK DP Double precision, n=100 results with AIX XL

FORTRAN compiler with optimization. Units are
megaflops (MFLOPS).

LINPACK TPP Toward Peak Performance, n=1000 results with

AIX XL FORTRAN compiler with optimization.
Units are megaflops (MFLOPS). ESSL Version

3.1.1 was used in this test.

Relative on-line transaction processing (ROLTP) is an estimate of commercial
processing performance derived from an IBM analytical model. The model

simulates some of the system’s operations such as CPU, cache, and
memory. However, the model does not simulate disk or network I/O
operations. Although general database and operating systems parameters
are used, the model does not reflect specific databases or AIX version or
releases. Unless otherwise indicated for a system, the model assumes the
use of 32-bit applications. ROLTP is estimated only at the time the system is
introduced, unless otherwise indicated for a system. An IBM RS/6000 Model
250 is the baseline reference system and has a value of 1.0.

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