Compaq HAL for Alpha 
Release Notes
July 1999
This document describes improvements, bug fixes, and known issues in HAL since the release of Compaq OEM HAL for Alpha Revision D.
Revision/Update Information:	HAL Revision G for Windows NT V4.0 
Compaq Computer Corporation
Houston, Texas
July 1999
COMPAQ COMPUTER CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, NOR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND COMPAQ COMPUTER CORPORATION DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE, GOOD TITLE AND AGAINST INFRINGEMENT.
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 1999 Compaq Computer Corporation.
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Introduction	6
Installing Compaq OEM HAL	7
Running UPDATE	7
Upgrading the KZPSA disk controller driver	7
HAL Revision G	8
Overview	8
HAL Changes and Bug Fixes	8
Known Issues	8
HAL Revision F	9
Overview	9
Bug Fixes	9
Known Issues	9
HAL Revision E	10
Overview	10
Improvements	10
Hardware Serviceability Features	10
New Hardware Support	10
Miscellaneous Improvements	10
Bug Fixes	11
Appendix A	12
Products Supported by Compaq Alpha HALs	12
Appendix B	13
System Error Logging Software	13
Supported Systems for Error Logging Software	13
Installation of Error Logging Software	14

Introduction
These release notes document improvements, bug fixes, and known issues in Compaq HALs for Alpha systems since the release of Compaq HALs for Alpha systems, Revision D.
Compaq HALs for Alpha systems are released at scheduled and unscheduled (out-of-cycle) times. They are released quarterly for all existing products using AlphaBIOS firmware, and out-of-cycle for the initial shipment of new products.  The notes for each release indicate which products are supported by the release.
For details about using AlphaBIOS to install Windows NT on Alpha-based systems, download the AlphaBIOS User’s Guide from:

http://www.compaq.com/support/files/alphant/index.html

Installing Compaq OEM HAL
To install a Compaq Alpha HAL, you must run the UPDATE program and upgrade your DECKZPSX disk driver (if appropriate).
Running UPDATE
To install a Compaq Alpha HAL:
1.	Unzip the file provided in your installation package.  Unzip into subdirectories – this is done with the –D option in most unzip software packages.
2.	Run UPDATE.
If UPDATE prompts you to replace your OEM-supplied HAL, select “Yes.”
Upgrading the KZPSA disk controller driver 
If your system uses a DIGITAL KZPSA SCSI controller, you must upgrade your DECKZPSX disk driver to version 1.51 or higher.  This will be done for you by using UPDATE.EXE as described above.  If an older version of this driver is detected, the KZPSA driver in this revision will be installed automatically.  This driver is the same as the driver in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4) and the driver in Revision D.  If UPDATE prompts you to replace your OEM-supplied KZPSA driver (filename deckzpsa.dll), select “Yes.”

HAL Revision G
HAL Revision G is a scheduled release.  It supercedes HAL revision F and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 (SP6), and supports the products shown in Appendix A.

Overview
Revision G is provided primarily in support of new Alpha hardware platforms and for future operating systems versions – Microsoft Windows 2000 and a future 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows NT.
  
HAL Changes and Bug Fixes
•	HAL revision G supports changes introduced in AlphaBIOS V5.70 for systems based on the Alpha 21264 CPU.  This includes:
•	Compaq AlphaServer DS20
•	Compaq AlphaPC 264DP
•	Compaq Professional Workstation XP1000
When AlphaBIOS V5.70 or newer is installed on one of these machines, HAL Revision G or newer must also be installed, or the system will not boot, but will hang at the blue-screen "kernel banner" message.
•	The "Known Issue" of HAL Revision F was fixed – a kernel mode debuggee system will no longer hang if baudrates are mismatched.
Known Issues
There are no known issues to report in this release.

HAL Revision F
HAL revision F is a scheduled release.  It supercedes HAL revision E and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5), and supports the products shown in Appendix A.
Overview
Revision F includes bug fixes and one known issue.
A separate and later HAL revision will include HAL files for the AlphaServer DS20 and the Compaq Professional Workstation XP1000.
Bug Fixes
On the AlphaServer 2100 5/xxx, previous versions of the HAL could cause I/O errors that might corrupt your hard disk(s).  This problem could occur with HAL revision D, HAL revision E, or with the HAL from Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4).  HAL revision F fixes this problem.
On the AlphaServer 4100, previous versions of the HAL could hang the system while it is booting.  HAL revision F fixes this problem.
Known Issues
If you boot an Alpha system in debug mode as a target system connected at 19200 baud to a host system with a debug session connected at 115200 baud, the target system will hang until the host’s debug session is terminated.

HAL Revision E
Revision E is a scheduled release, supercedes HAL revision D and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4), and supports the products in Appendix A. 
Overview
This revision includes bug fixes and improvements.  The primary improvement is serviceability, which adapts hardware error reporting mechanisms designed for AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 systems to AlphaServer 1200, 4000, and 4100 systems, and to DIGITAL Server 7300 and 5300 systems.
A separate and later HAL revision will include HAL files for the AlphaServer 8200 and 8400 models, the AlphaServer GS60, and the AlphaServer GS140.
Improvements
Improvements in this release include hardware serviceability features, new hardware support, and miscellaneous improvements.
Hardware Serviceability Features
Hardware serviceability features include:
•	New mechanisms that support the AlphaServer 4x00 and 1200 family of systems.  For details, see Appendix B.
•	New mechanisms that support systems using the Alpha 21264 CPU.
•	Reporting critical double error events to the OS event log.
New Hardware Support
Support for new systems that use the next-generation Alpha 21264 CPU was added.
Miscellaneous Improvements
Miscellaneous improvements include:
•	Modifying HAL to trap VGA mode “blue screen” text so that system support engineers can obtain it from crash dump files by using kernel debuggers, such as the following:
AlphaKD> da HalErrorMessageBuffer.

•	Changing AlphaServer 1000A 5/xxx by allowing warm restarts to be disabled. This change was designed to support Microsoft Cluster Server software but is available to all AlphaServer 1000a 5/xxx systems. This change is controlled in AlphaBIOS 5.68 under CMOS Setup, Advanced Settings.  For proper system failover in a cluster configuration, Warm Restart must be disabled on this model.
•	Changing the AlphaServer 2000, 2100, and 2100A family of systems in two ways. First, its DMA addresses now fall into the range 0x60000000 through 0x7FFFFFFF, which avoids using bit 31 in DMA addresses.  And, second, its systems will run when CPU slots are skipped.
•	Adding PAL files, which UPDATE.EXE will automatically install.  These files include improvements in error handling, VLM support, and performance in dealing with alignment faults
Bug Fixes
Bug fixes include the following:
•	Occasionally, previous versions of HAL software for the AlphaServer 2100 5/xxx systems could cause I/O errors that might corrupt your hard disk(s).  This problem could occur with Revision D or E, or with the HAL in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4. The HAL in this kit is Revision E1, and it fixes this problem. 
•	Parameter checking in IoFlushAdapterBuffer() was relaxed to allow for diskdump.sys.  This workaround allows crash dump operations to complete instead of hanging the system.

Appendix A
Products Supported by Compaq Alpha HAL

Compaq AlphaServer DS20
Compaq Professional Workstation XP1000
DIGITAL Personal Workstation
DIGITAL Ultimate Workstation
DIGITAL Server 3000/3300
DIGITAL Server 5000/5300
DIGITAL Server 7000/7300
AlphaPC 164LX
AlphaPC 164SX
AlphaPC 264DP
AlphaServer 300
AlphaServer 400
AlphaServer 800
AlphaServer 1000 
AlphaServer 1000A 
AlphaServer 1200
AlphaServer 2000
AlphaServer 2100
AlphaServer 2100A	
AlphaServer 4000
AlphaServer 4100
AlphaServer 8200
AlphaServer 8400
AlphaStation 200
AlphaStation 250
AlphaStation 255
AlphaStation 400
AlphaStation 500
AlphaStation 600
AlphaStation 600A 
Alpha XL
Alpha XLT

Appendix B
System Error Logging Software
The System Error Logging Software for Alpha enables the system to retain hardware fault information in the system event log for subsequent retrieval and analysis by service engineers or higher-level fault analysis software.
When fatal (non-correctable) hardware errors occur, the HAL saves error information frames in the system NVRAM.  These frames describe in detail the errors that occurred. After a reboot, the error logging software retrieves the error information frames from NVRAM and saves them to the system event log, where tools such as the Event Viewer or DECevent can examine them.
When non-fatal (correctable) errors occur, the HAL and the error logging software save the error information into the system event log directly, without using NVRAM.
The error logging software consists of a system driver and a system service.  In Windows NT, this service has the name “Alpha Error Logging.”
For minimum functionality, this error logging software requires AlphaBIOS 5.67 or later and HAL revision E or later.  For full functionality, it requires AlphaBIOS 5.68 or later and HAL revision E or later.
Supported Systems for Error Logging Software
This error logging software runs on the following systems:
•	Compaq AlphaServer DS20
•	DIGITAL Server 5000/5300
•	DIGITAL Server 7000/7300
•	DIGITAL Ultimate Workstation
•	AlphaServer 1200
•	AlphaServer 4000
•	AlphaServer 4100
Installation of Error Logging Software
To install the error logging software:
•	Find the SysErLog.exe file provided in your installation package.
•	Run SysErLog.
•	Follow the instructions on the screen.