[SPARCbook] SPARCbook 3GX RAM upgradeability

[Michael Lorenz]

Hello,

> There are only two SIMM slots in the sparcbook.  From what I understand,
> most people have gotten two 64meg simms working for 128megs total, but
> beyond that things get messy.  Input from others with first hand experience
> would be appreciated.
I bought standard 32MB FP 60ns SIMMs which work perfectly. Be aware that
you need low profile modules ( not the ones with two rows of chips ) or
they wouldn't fit with the battery.

> AFAIK, Linux will run on the sparcbook, but not too functional.  X, in
> theory, should work, as the Weitek frame buffer chip is supposed in XFree
> 4.0, but whether or not it works well is a different matter.  PCMCIA and the
> such are unlikely.  Again, someone with firsthand experience should input.
I didn't try Linux because NetBSD seems to be a bit more advanced here.
SCSI, Network and the standard Sun stuff works, the RS232 ports (which
require to be powered up by software to be used, so they won't work with
basic Sun serial support ) are worked on and support should be finished
in the next couple of weeks, basic power management works (eg. switching
off the screen, clocking down the processor in case it gets too hot and
so on), support for the internal modem seems under way. I don't know
about PCMCIA and ISDN, but someone works on the soundchip.
The graphics controller is supported for both, console and X whih is
currently limited to cg3 emulation ( no acceleration, 8bit only ) which
will change in the future. See www.netbsd.org

bye
Michael