Chapter 2. Supported Hardware

With the release of PA-RISC architecture in $Debian 3.0 (aka Woody), a major improvement was made in term of quantity and quality of hardware support. Since 0.9.3 released, the kernel has been greatly improved, so that much unsupported hardware by the time 0.9.3 went out is now handled. That's why even if your model is not listed here, you might give it a try and report your result to the mailing list : <parisc-linux@lists.parisc-linux.org>. The following PA-RISC machines can be booted almost like any other box of a different architecture. We must add that this list can change at any time. The best way to get an up to date version is to look at http://www.pateam.org/list.html. There you will know if your hardware is supported and up to what level. For example, if you can run PA/Linux using the serial console or the graphic card.

• All 712 models.

• All 715 models including Strider series.

• All 705, 710, 720, 730, 750 models should be running with the latest ISO. It contains some modifications specially for hard disk devices.

• Some 725, 735 (no FWD SCSI), 755 models are running with the latest kernels. But since there was not a lot of feedback about these machines, we can not be more explicit.

• The VME-like systems are supported. This includes 742 and 743.

• A180 and similar.

• A500 and similar.

• BXXX models like B132, B160 and B180. These boxes can be used in the framebuffer mode via the Standard Text Interface.

• BXXXX models like B1000, B2000 and B2600. These boxes can be used with STI_CONSOLE, but framebuffer only works with VIS-EG cards. FX are not yet supported.

• CXXX models like C110, C160, C180L, C240, C360.

• CXXXX models. Indeed, BXXXX and CXXXX are based on Astro/Elroy (aka SBA/LBA) chipsets with varying CPU speeds, number of memory/PCI slots.

• D class works unless you have a Remote Management Card installed. Even then, it still kind of works, it's just that ttyS0 gets assigned to the second serial port and you have to switch cables around.

• E class : Christoph Plattner is working on his E55. E35 and E55 are known to work diskless. The SCSI support is expected soon.

• J class is quite well supported. It has the same split as C class, i.e. JXXX and J2240 are U2/Uturn based and JXXXX are Astro/Elroy. It is the SMP version of CXXXX models.

• K class is supported if you are using the ISO images made by the ESIEE team tagged with "-PDC-".

• L class : L1000 and L2000, with serial console.

• R class is basically the same as D class.

No plan to get the following hardware completely supported in the near future :

• L3000 - smaller brother of N class - currently only works Uni Processor (UP).

• N class : N4000-55 seems to be supported in UP mode.

• F,G,H,I classes : Currently not supported.

• SuperDome : It boots "single-cell", multi-IOMMU doesn't work.

• T 5XX and V class : Nobody is working on it at the moment.

The following hardware might never work :

• T600.