SPARCstation IPX
Encyclopedia
SPARCstation IPX is a workstation
sold by Sun Microsystems
. It is based on the sun4c architecture, and is enclosed in a lunchbox chassis.
chipset providing 10BaseT networking as standard and 10Base2
and 10Base5
via an AUI
transceiver. The OpenBoot ROM is able to boot from network, using RARP and TFTP. Like all other SPARCstation systems, the IPX holds system information such as MAC address and serial number in NVRAM. If the battery on this chip dies, then the system will not be able to boot.
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
sold by Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
. It is based on the sun4c architecture, and is enclosed in a lunchbox chassis.
CPU support
The SPARCstation IPX incorporates a Fujitsu MB86903 or Weitek W8701 40 MHz processor. Weitek provided 80 MHz after market "SPARC POWERuP!" (2000A-080 GCD) processors which work well in an IPX and require a rom update to v2.9. The SPARCstation IPX is limited to use as a single-processor machine.Memory
The SPARCstation IPX has four 72-pin SIMM slots for memory expansion. The memory uses parity Fast Page Memory (FPM) SIMM's with speeds of 50-80ns. Slots can be filled individually giving a maximum of 64Mb memory. Paired memory modules decrease access times via "bank interleaving" resulting in faster memory and overall system performance. Additional 32 and 64mb SBUS "Above Board" RAM expanders will fit and work the IPX using the 8-pin J101 header which contains additional power and clock signals next to the DMA/Cache controller.Disk drives
The SPARCstation IPX can hold one internal 50 pin IDC SCSI drive and a floppy. It also supports external SCSI devices. There is no IDE/ATAPI support. Modern 80 pin drives can work with an adapter, but do not fit inside the case due to the size of the adapter.Network support
The SPARCstation IPX comes with an on-board AMD Lance EthernetEthernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
chipset providing 10BaseT networking as standard and 10Base2
10BASE2
10BASE2 is a variant of Ethernet that uses thin coaxial cable , terminated with BNC connectors...
and 10Base5
10BASE5
10BASE5 was the original commercially available variant of Ethernet.For its physical layer it used cable similar to RG-8/U coaxial cable but with extra braided shielding. This is a stiff, diameter cable with an impedance of 50 ohms , a solid center conductor, a foam insulating filler, a shielding...
via an AUI
Attachment Unit Interface
An Attachment Unit Interface is a 15 pin connection that provides a path between a node's Ethernet interface and the Medium Attachment Unit , sometimes known as a transceiver. It is the part of the IEEE Ethernet standard located between the Media Access Control , and the MAU...
transceiver. The OpenBoot ROM is able to boot from network, using RARP and TFTP. Like all other SPARCstation systems, the IPX holds system information such as MAC address and serial number in NVRAM. If the battery on this chip dies, then the system will not be able to boot.
Operating systems
The following operating systems will run on a SPARCstation IPX:- SunOSSunOSSunOS is a version of the Unix operating system developed by Sun Microsystems for their workstation and server computer systems. The SunOS name is usually only used to refer to versions 1.0 to 4.1.4 of SunOS...
4.1.1 onwards - Solaris 2.0 to Solaris 7 (sun4c dropped in Solaris 8)
- LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
- Some but not all distribution still support this sparc32 sub-architecture - NetBSDNetBSDNetBSD is a freely available open source version of the Berkeley Software Distribution Unix operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design,...
/sparc32 since 1.0 - OpenBSDOpenBSDOpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995...
/sparc32