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The CHARON-AXP CPU can be calibrated with "set ace" directive and the following parameters:

enabled

Descriptionenabled
Parameterenabled
Type
Boolean
Value

Boolean

A CHARON-AXP emulated CPU is configured with the "enabled" command enabling the high performance Advanced CPU Emulation mode ("ACE"). The ACE option optimizes the HP Alpha instruction interpretation and significantly improves performance. It also requires approximately twice the amount of host memory allocated by CHARON instance itself to store the optimized code (Note that 2Gb of host memory + the amount of HP Alpha memory emulated per each CHARON instance is required).

ACE optimization is performed dynamically during execution. It does not need to write optimized code back to disk, ACE provides its full capability instantly. The optimization does not compromise the HP Alpha instruction decoding; CHARON-AXP remains fully HP Alpha hardware compatible and completely transparent to the HP Alpha operating systems and applications.

This configuration setting enables the ACE mode if the CHARON-AXP license permits it. If this configuration setting is omitted from the CHARON-AXP configuration file and the license permits it, "true" is the default, otherwise "false" is the default.

Example:

set ace enabled = false
Info

"set ace enabled=true" is ignored when the license does not permit ACE operation.

The ACE mode is disabled when the host system does not meet the minimum physical requirements for this operation. If the emulator appears not to run at its normal performance, check the log file for a change in the ACE mode and verify that sufficient host resources, especially memory, are available.

cpu_architecture

Parameter

cpu_architecture

Type

Text String

Value

Specifies the architecture of the virtual Alpha CPU. Can be one of the following: EV4, EV45, EV5, EV56, EV6, EV67, EV68

Example:

set ace cpu_architecture = EV6

Refer to this section to find an appropriate value of the HP Alpha architecture per each HP Alpha model supported by CHARON-AXP.

cache_size

Parameter

cache_size

TypeNumeric
Value

"cache_size" defines the amount of memory in megabytes allocated to the ACE cache.

The default value of the cache_size set to 1GB (1024 MB).

Example:

set ace cache_size=2048


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RAM  

The CHARON-AXP memory subsystem is permanently loaded and has the logical name "ram". 

size

Parametersize
Type

...

Numeric

...

Value

...

Size of the emulated memory in MB.

 

Example

...

set ram size = 2048

 

The amount of memory is capped at a maximum, this is defined in the CHARON license key. If the host system cannot allocate enough memory to map the requested emulated memory, CHARON-AXP generates an error message in the log file and reduces its effective memory size.

Div
classpagebreak

 

The following table lists the values of emulated RAM for various hardware models of virtual HP Alpha systems:

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CHARON-AXP maintains its time and date using the "toy" (time-of-year) component. In order to preserve the time and date while a virtual system is not running, the TOY component uses a binary file on the host system to store the date and time relevant data. The name of the file is specified by the “container” option of the "toy" component.

container

container
Parametercontainer
Type
Description
Text string
Value

Specifies a name for the file in which CHARON-AXP preserves the time and date during its “offline” period. This file also keeps some console parameters (such as the default boot device).

By default it is left unspecified.

(info) it is recommended to specify the full path to the TOY file.

sync_to_host

Parametersync_to_host
TypeText string
Value

Specifies whether and how the guest OS time is synchronized with the CHARON host time.

Syntax:

set TOY sync_to_host = "{as_vms | as_tru64 | as_is}[, nowrite]"

where:

ParameterDescription
as_vmsIf the guest OS is OpenVMS/AXP and its date and time must be set to the host's date and time each time it boots.
as_tru64If the guest OS is Tru64 UNIX and its date and time must be set to the host's date and time each time it boots.
as_isIf the TOY date and time must be set to the host's UTC date and time
nowriteDisable undesirable updates to the TOY from the guest OS.

Example:

set TOY sync_to_host = "as_vms, nowrite"

To synchronize the guest OS with TOY, use the following commands (from "SYSTEM"/"root" account):

On OpenVMS/AXPOn Tru64 UNIX
$ set time
# date -u `consvar -g date | cut -f 3 -d ' '`

The default value is "not specified" - it means that by default CHARON does not synchronize its guest OS time with the CHARON host time but collects date and time from the file specified with "container" parameter.

(warning) If "sync_to_host" parameter is specified there is no need to specify "container" parameter in addition.

Example

...

set toy container="C:\Charon\my_virtual_system.dat"

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The System Flash ROM file conserves specific parameters between reboots.

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container

Parametercontainer
Type

...

Text string
Value

Specifies the name of a file in which CHARON-AXP stores an intermediate state of its Flash ROM. This state includes, for example, most of the console parameters.

By default it is left unspecified.

(info) it is recommended to specify the full path to this file

Example:

set rom container=

...

"C:\Charon\my_virtual_

...

system.rom"

system_name

Parametersystem_name
TypeText string
Value

Allows changing the system name, for example:

set rom system_name=

...

"Alpha Server 1000 4/

...

200"

Refer to this section to find an appropriate value of the HP Alpha system name per each HP Alpha model supported by CHARON-AXP

system_serial_number

Parametersystem_serial_number
TypeText string
Value

Allows changing the system serial number, for example:

set rom system_serial_number = NY12345678

Any sequence of characters can be used as a serial number. Sequences longer than 16 symbols are truncated to 16 symbols.

Serial Numbers should be according to DEC standard: 10 characters. First two characters are capital letters, remaining 8 characters are decimal digits.

By default it is set to SN01234567

dsrdb

Parameterdsrdb[n]
TypeNumeric
Value

DSRDB - Dynamic System Recognition Data Block. These parameters allow changing the emulated hardware model type.

dsrdb[0] stands for SMM - System Marketing Model.

Example:

set rom dsrdb[0]=1090

This section describes connection between "dsrdb" parameter and the rest of the parameters defining an exact HP Alpha model - including SMM.

version

Parameterversion
TypeText string
Value

Sets Console and PAL code versions in the following way:

FunctionCommand
Set SRM Console version to X.Y-Z
set rom version[0] = x.y-z
Set OpenVMS PAL code version to X.Y-Z
set rom version[1] = x.y-z
Set Tru64 UNIX PAL code version to X.Y-Z
set rom version[2] = x.y-z

Example:

set rom version[0] = 7.3-1 version[1] = 1.98-104 version[2] = 1.92-105

 

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Value of the parameter is interval timer period in microseconds. By default it is set to 10000. By changing it to 1000 frequency of virtual interval timer interrupts may be increased to 1000Hz (1000 interrupts per second).

clock_period

Description
Parameter
Type
clock_period
TypeNumeric
Value

Specifies period of interval timer, in microseconds. Only two values are supported:

  • 10000 (which corresponds to 100Hz interval timer)
  • 1000 (which corresponds to 1000Hz interval timer)

By default it is set to 10000.

Example for AlphaServer 400, DS, ES, GS

...

set ISA clock_period=1000

Example for AlphaServer 800, 1000, 1000A, 1200, 2000, 2100, 4000, 4100

...

set EISA clock_period=1000

...

HP AlphaStation 200 - 400

set session hw_model=set rom system_name=set ace cpu_architecture=set rom dsrdb[0]=
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 200 4/100EV41156
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 200 4/133EV41088
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/133EV41250
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/133EV41257
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 200 4/166EV41087
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/166EV41251
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/166EV41258
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 400 4/166EV41086
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/200EV41252
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/200EV41259
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 200 4/233EV451151
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/233EV451253
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/233EV451260
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 400 4/233EV451152
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/266EV451254
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/266EV451261
AlphaServer_400AlphaServer 300 4/266EV451593
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 400 4/266EV451153
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 400 4/266EV451154
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 200 4/300EV451157
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/300EV451255
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/300EV451262
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 400 4/300EV451160
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 205 4/333EV451256
AlphaServer_400AlphaStation 255 4/333EV451263

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set session hw_model=set rom system_name=set ace cpu_architecture=set rom dsrdb[0]=set rom dsrdb[1]=set rom dsrdb[4]=
AlphaServer_GS80AlphaServer GS80 67/728EV671967  
AlphaServer_GS80AlphaServer GS1280EV672038503050

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CHARON-AXP systems can be configured to boot the operating system automatically at start up.

...

auto_action restart

Parameter
Description
auto_action restart
TypeText string
Value

Determines whether CHARON-AXP boots automatically if the correct boot flags are set (and saved in the HP Alpha console files).

Example:

>>>set
>>>set bootdef_dev dka0
>>>set
>>>set auto_action restart

 

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