  Platform Support? Whitebox? Windows NT-only series 
 The Question is:
 
I wish to switch from AlphaBios to VMS ver 7.2-1 on a Digital Server 5000 Model
 5305, Console v5.8-2.  Is this possible? If so, how? and if not why not? I am
 completely new to AlphaBios commands etc. but have done some work on Alphas
 under VMS.
 
 The Answer is :
 
  Support has time and monetary costs to OpenVMS Engineering,
  costs which must be reasonably recouped.  You too are also
  cost-driven and also wish to reasonably recoup your costs,
  hence your question.
 
  Put in simplest terms, this Alpha platform is not supported
  by OpenVMS.  There are no commercial OpenVMS license options
  generally sold for this system, though you might be able to
  purchase a right-to-use without support -- the OpenVMS Wizard
  will thus assume this is a hobbyist usage.
 
  Details of what might or might not work and what might or
  might not be stable are not known to the OpenVMS Wizard.
 
  Differing operating systems make differing demands on the
  hardware platform.
 
  There are one or more problems with this current configuration
  (qv: your question), problems which may or may not be reasonably
  resolvable through OpenVMS or hardware changes.
 
  There are insufficient details provided for the OpenVMS Wizard
  to determine the specific cause of the problem being reported.
 
  This platform and other so-called "whitebox" or -a series
  platforms were configured, tested, priced, and sold for use
  with Microsoft Windows NT.  Only.
 
  For details of attempting to bootstrap OpenVMS (with hobbyist
  licenses) on unsupported platforms and on unsupported I/O
  configurations, and for details of switching to SRM, please
  see the OpenVMS FAQ.  Depending on the I/O controllers present,
  details of motherboard components, firmware, and other details,
  hobbyists may or may not be able to successfully bootstrap OpenVMS
  on an unsupported system.
 
  Some of these unsupported Alpha systems have hardware that is not
  supported by OpenVMS, systems including various "whitebox" DIGITAL
  Server systems, DIGITAL Personal Workstation -a series, or other
  Windows NT (only) systems with motherboards with (but not limited
  to) revisions of the Pyxis chip and the use of the Intel SIO chip
  (see the FAQ for the latter), restrictions which can prevent the
  operation of some of or all of OpenVMS.  Some unsupported Alpha
  systems were tested, and were found to be incompatible with stable
  OpenVMS operations.  Some systems "simply" have unsupported EISA
  or PCI controller hardware, unsupported SCSI hardware, or other
  such "correctable" restrictions.
 
  The OpenVMS Wizard cannot and does not recommend the use of any
  unsupported platform for any (inexperienced) hobbyist users.
  Hobbyist users without extensive experience with hardware and
  without knowledge of the costs and effort involved in platform
  testing and integration efforts should purchase and use only
  officially supported platforms and controllers.  The vendor
  testing and integration that is a central part of vendor support
  is of value to users that are not able, not familiar, or not
  willing to provide local testing and integration and support.
 
 Answer written or last revised on  7-SEP-2002 
