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5.

Alpha Console Firmware

6.

Console firmware is stored in a flash ROM and started when an Alpha system is powered up or reset. There are two different console specifications used on Alpha systems, and hence two classes of console firmware available:

9.

From the user's perspective, the most important difference between SRM and ARC is that the choice of console constrains the possible disk-partitioning scheme for the hard disk which you wish to boot off of.

10.

ARC requires that you use an MS-DOS partition table (as created by <command>cfdisk</command>) for the boot disk. Therefore MS-DOS partition tables are the <quote>native</quote> partition format when booting from ARC. In fact, since AlphaBIOS contains a disk partitioning utility, you may prefer to partition your disks from the firmware menus before installing Linux.

11.

Conversely, SRM is <emphasis>incompatible</emphasis><footnote> <para> Specifically, the bootsector format required by the Console Subsystem Specification conflicts with the placement of the DOS partition table. </para> </footnote> with MS-DOS partition tables. Since Tru64 Unix uses the BSD disklabel format, this is the <quote>native</quote> partition format for SRM installations.

12.

GNU/Linux is the only operating system on Alpha that can be booted from both console types, but &debian; &release; only supports booting on SRM-based systems. If you have an Alpha for which no version of SRM is available, if you will be dual-booting the system with Windows NT, or if your boot device requires ARC console support for BIOS initialization, you will not be able to use the &debian; &release; installer. You can still run &debian; &release; on such systems by using other install media; for instance, you can install Debian woody with MILO and upgrade.

13.

Because <command>MILO</command> is not available for any of the Alpha systems currently in production (as of February 2000), and because it is no longer necessary to buy an OpenVMS or Tru64 Unix license to have SRM firmware on your older Alpha, it is recommended that you use SRM when possible.

53.

Thus, three scenarios are generally possible, depending on the system's console firmware and whether or not <command>MILO</command> is available: <informalexample><screen>
SRM -&gt; aboot
SRM -&gt; MILO
ARC -&gt; MILO
</screen></informalexample> Because <command>MILO</command> is not available for any of the Alpha systems currently in production (as of February 2000), and because it is no longer necessary to buy an OpenVMS or Tru64 Unix license to have SRM firmware on your older Alpha, it is recommended that you use SRM and <command>aboot</command> on new installations of GNU/Linux, unless you wish to dual-boot with Windows NT.

54.

The majority of AlphaServers and all current server and workstation products contain both SRM and AlphaBIOS in their firmware. For <quote>half-flash</quote> machines such as the various evaluation boards, it is possible to switch from one version to another by reflashing the firmware. Also, once SRM is installed, it is possible to run ARC/AlphaBIOS from a floppy disk (using the <command>arc</command> command). For the reasons mentioned above, we recommend switching to SRM before installing &debian;.

55.

As on other architectures, you should install the newest available revision of the firmware<footnote> <para> Except on Jensen, where Linux is not supported on firmware versions newer than 1.7 &mdash; see <ulink url="&url-jensen-howto;"></ulink> for more information. </para> </footnote> before installing &debian;. For Alpha, firmware updates can be obtained from <ulink url="&url-alpha-firmware;">Alpha Firmware Updates</ulink>.