From linux@waldorf-gmbh.de Wed Aug 31 13:38:23 EDT 1994 Article: 2654 of comp.os.linux.announce Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!zip.eecs.umich.edu!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!travelers.mail.cornell.edu!cornell!bounce-bounce From: Linux Hacker Subject: Linux/MIPS FAQ Message-ID: Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc Keywords: Linux Ports, Mips, Kernel Sender: mdw@cs.cornell.edu (Matt Welsh) Reply-To: Linux Hacker Organization: None Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 19:06:50 GMT Approved: linux-announce@tc.cornell.edu (Matt Welsh) Lines: 90 This is the first Linux/MIPS FAQ. If you can't find an answer to your question here, please contact . Q) What is "Linux/MIPS" ? A) Linux/MIPS is a Linux port for computers equipped with Mips R4x00 processors. For further information, see below. Q) Who is "Waldorf Electronics" ? A) Waldorf Electronics is a small company in Germany, mainly building synthesizers and other things for the music market. Yes, this has normally nothing to do with Linux or Un*x in general. However, we at the R&D Department use both Mips and Linux/i486 boxes for development and believe in the future of Linux, even in the music world. That's why we created this project. Q) On what hardware will it run ? A) The first target will be the Deskstation Tyne Board series. These boards support R4400PC and R4600 processors with speeds currently up to 133 MHz. The boards are equipped with up to 2 Meg L2 Cache, 256 Meg main memory (PS/2 SIMMs) and have 4 ISA plus 2 VLB slots. For further information about Tyne boards, please contact Deskstation Technology at 800-793-3375 (US only), 001-913-599-1900 (international) or 0044-773-829-542 (Europe). Please note that all questions regarding Linux/MIPS should be directed to . The Linux/MIPS port will eventually later include other Mips systems, but there are no plans yet. Q) Which parts of my old PC can I keep ? A) Except the main board, everything :-) The Tyne boards fit into all standard PC cases and are happy with standard power supplies. Your keyboard will work too. If your disk drives will work too depends on your controller, but there should be no problem. You might have to buy new SIMMs, however. Q) Which I/O cards will be supported ? A) In theory, every standard ISA and VLB card. But since we don't have much experience yet, we cannot guarantee that just the cards *you* have will work too. Q) Where can I get kernel patches ? A) Since Mid-August the kernels distributed by Linus Torvalds include our latest changes. You can download them from most major Linux ftp sites. Q) Any support/development tools available ? A) Yes. We have a cross-compilation environment for Linux/i386 which includes GCC, binutils and SPIM, a Mips R2000/R3000 simulator. Binaries and documentation are available from our ftp site (ftp.waldorf-gmbh.de) in the directory /pub/linux/mips. Q) Is there a mailing list ? A) Yes. We created a linux-activists channel called "mips". To subscribe to this list, send a message to with the command "X-Mn-Admin: join mips" as the first and only line. Q) Can I help ? A) Yes, if you're familiar with C, the Linux kernel and Mips processors your help is appreciated! Please feel free to contact us. -- Send submissions for comp.os.linux.announce to: linux-announce@tc.cornell.edu Be sure to include Keywords: and a short description of your software.