J. David.... (HP roms)

From: J. David Bryan <jdbryan_at_acm.org>
Date: Thu Jul 29 10:34:39 2004

On 28 Jul 2004 at 13:55, Jay West wrote:

> > No, they're DMS. [...]
>
> Ok, so the 13306 numbers I mentioned are DMS.

My comment was addressed specifically to your "FFP option 100" statement,
not the ROM numbers. The "FFP option 100" adds the DMS ROMs to the FFP
ROMs.


> And DMS is required for FFP? Odd.

I'm going to go way out on a limb here, as I am far more familiar with the
M-series than the E-series, but in looking over the ROM history, it appears
that prior to the consolidation, FFP took six 1K ROMs (1 module) and three
4K ROMs (2 modules) on the Firmware Accessory Board (FAB). DMS took six 1K
ROMs (1 module) on the FAB too. The FAB had only twelve 1K ROM sockets, so
a system with FFP and DMS would fully populate the FAB's 1K area.

Six 1K ROMs provided one microcode module (256 words), and three 4K ROMs
provided two modules. Given that FFP and DMS together comprised four
modules, it appears that they were consolidated into six 4K ROMs. The FAB
had eighteen 4K sockets, so by consolidating the ROMs, much of the FAB
space was freed for user microprograms.

Prior to the consolidation, FFP used 1K ROMs 13306-80013 through 80018 (one
module) and 4K ROMs 5090-0589 through 0591 (two modules). DMS used 1K ROMs
13307-80027 through 80032 (one module). After the consolidation, the
original FFP 4K ROMs were used, and a new set of three 4K ROMs (13307-80033
through 80035) were added. This latter set combined the two single modules
from the FFP and DMS that had been present in 1K ROMs.

So in other words, when you ordered DMS by itself, you received three 4K
ROMs that contained the single DMS module plus one of the three FFP
modules. The latter was useless without the other two FFP modules, of
course. When you ordered FFP by itself, you received three 4K ROMs that
contained two of the three FFP modules.

If you already had the three 4K DMS ROMs installed in your machine from an
earlier purchase, then the third FFP module would already be present, and
your combined FFP/DMS setup would work. But if you didn't have DMS, then
you'd be missing the third FFP module, and that's what "FFP option 100"
added. Because of the consolidation, it also added the DMS microcode, but
presumably without the Memory Expansion Module (MEM) board that was part of
the DMS package, the DMS microcode wouldn't do you any good, so it came
along relatively "free."


> > "If the Fast FORTRAN Processor is ordered for a machine which does
> > not have the 13307B Dynamic Mapping Instructions, 13306B option 100
> > must be ordered; the 13307B contains part of the FFP."
>
> I thought the manual said "does not have the...DMS... 13307B option
> 100 must be ordered..." (not 13306B).

No, it's 13306B, because the extra ROMs are needed when FFP is ordered for
a machine that doesn't have the 4K DMS ROMs installed, so it's an FFP
option.


> I was thinking the 13306B was strictly DMS based on the above and
> 13307B was strictly FFP.

In the "A" versions of those products, it was...up until the ROM
consolidation. That may have been the point when A became B -- an earlier
ordering guide from August 1978 lists only the 1K + 4K ROM set for the
13306A FFP and only the 1K ROM set for the 13307A.


> I thought we established the 13306 numbers were DMS, not 13307-80027
> through 80032.

No, sorry, as noted in my first comment, I was addressing just the ordering
option, not the ROM numbers. 13306 ROMs are (part of) FFP.


> Now I'm really confused. The 2100A/S is so much simpler :)

I hazard the guess that the consolidation was done to free up 1K space on
the FAB for user microprograms, and also because the later-introduced and
preferred Firmware Expansion Module (FEM) card took only 4K and 8K ROMs.

I trust that it's all clear now. ;-)

                                      -- Dave
Received on Thu Jul 29 2004 - 10:34:39 BST