Memory (was RE: [rescue] Ultra?)

[James Lockwood]

On Fri, 2 Aug 2002 vraptor at employees.org wrote:

> I believe (but can't verify) but the later SS20's will take 128MB
> memory, and perhaps larger.  It's been quite a while since I worked
> on "big" SS20's, but I'm pretty sure I cranked out a user home
> dir/mail machine to 1GB back around 1999.

The SS20 cannot use 128MB DIMMs.  The memory slots are aligned on 64MB
boundries (first slot is 00000000-03FFFFFF, etc).

> (Often the manfacturer says a computer can't do something when
> in fact it can.  My Powerbook G3 (aka "Firewire" or "Pismo") is

Most of us are very aware of this.  Things like 32MB DIMMs in some SS10s,
32MB modules in the first bank on a Classic/LX, 256M DIMMs in Ultra 5s,
and even 400MHz/2MB UltraSparc-II modules in Ultra 30s and AA E450s have
been confirmed to work by empirical testing.  Memory configuration rules
for Suns are relatively well known, though, and you're unlikely to find
too many exceptions to the knowledge on this list.

The 3rd-party bad refresh issue with moving memory from SS20s to Ultras
bit me in a big way.  We bought third-party RAM at half the price of Sun,
and then had to rebuy it when we upgraded.  A gig of Sun RAM was not a
cheap commodity in 1995.

> Seriously though, you can get the memory from www.weirdstuff.com
> (they don't have good prices on disks though--not enough volume).
> Call the store and ask what they have on hand--the web site can't
> keep up.

Weird Stuff is worthy of a pilgrimage if you're in the area.  So is Wacky
Willies up in Portland, but for different reasons (less computer oriented
but still fun).  I also recommend HSC in Santa Clara, and my parents
garage in Ben Lomond.  :)

-James