[SunRescue] Sparc Classic-Memory

[Sheldon T. Hall]

On Thursday, April 06, 2000 4:36 AM, Heinz Rinke wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I'd like to feed my classic with some additional mem.
> I tried some 16MB-DSIMMs taken from an Intel machine,
> but obviosly it did not work. The first message in the
> Boot procedure told something about "Level 15 error"
> Where can I get the right stuff, i.e. PN 501-2059-xx?
> Can someone help me?

There's PC memory, and there's PC memory.

The Classic is just like an LX, and my LX is running happily with nothing 
but PC memory in it.  128 megs' worth.

First, you have to have the right stuff.  True-parity, 60 ns, FPM (Fast 
Page Mode), 72 pin SIMMs.  A lot of PC memory is either non-parity or 
"logic parity;" I know the first won't work, and I don't think the latter 
will, either.  Also, there's EDO memory, as well as FPM.  Most true-parity 
PC memory is FPM, and most non-parity is EDO, but not all.

In addition, I've heard that the Sun boxes determine what _kind_ of parity 
memory (33-bit Sun or 36-bit PC) is in the box by looking at the stuff in 
the first bank of memory.  I haven't performed any experiments to see that 
this is true, however.

Bottom line?  PC memory conforming to the right spec will work, but most PC 
memory isn't the right spec.

-Shel