DEC ALPHA

[Ronald Maggio]

Hello 

I need some help. I have the following. A DEC Multia MultiClient Desktop 
Model VX42B-F2. (System box with flexible 512K cache, ZIF socket 233MHz Alpha 
CPU, 88MB Ram, 2.5-inch Toshiba 528MB SCSI HDD, 3.5-inch floppy, external 
SCSI-II 50-Pin high-density female connector.

I have been running into a few problems. First let me set the situation up 
for you.  I would like to install RedHat Linux 7.1 on this system.

I have an external drive tower that I'm using a 50-pin high-density to 50-pin 
centronic SCSI cable to connected them together. I would like to use the 
drives that I have placed in the tower, The drive in the desktop is pinned 
out to disk 0 (sda)  (Toshiba 528mb hdd) manufacturer setting, The following 
drives are in the tower. pinned out to disk 1 (sdb)  is a 4.3 gig seagate,  
pinned out to disk 2 (sdc) is a  1.010 gig seagate,  pinned out to disk 3 
(sdd) is a  426mb seagate, and pinned out to disk 4 (sde) is a  426mb 
seagate. In its own drive case is the CD-ROM is pinned out to SCSI device #6 
(scd)

Can this work? How do I make it possible for Linux to see and use all these 
hard disk drives? 
 
Where should I put the Boot, Root and Swap partitions? Which drive (s)?
Is it possible to make Linux make these drives allowable ie: all useable by 
the OS to use for Programs & Storage? How do I set up these partitions with 
scsi 0 sda in the desktop being only 528mb? How do I skip this drive but 
would still be able to use it if I need to? Or in what other way can it be 
used in the installation? ie:  MILO?  And for milo? how do you set it up to 
autoboot the system after the the install is done. If I where to use the 
528mb drive for this, to set MILO on it permanently to point to the boot 
partition. 

Now for my final problem. Trying to get x window to work.
Knowing that the default X Server for RedHat 7.1 is version 4.0.3, to which I 
have gathered from posting on the usenet before asking for help on this I got 
this information. It does not work with the Multia due to a bug in the way 
the frame buffer works. The unit has a TGA UDB/Multia video card built into 
the motherboard. Model: ZLXp-E1 its a 2mb 8bit-plane version video card.
I would like to use my ViewSonic 15GA on it. I've got the settings but have 
not tried them out. HorizSync 31.5-65 and VertRefresh 50-110, 
1024 x 768 @ 75Hz to fit my monitor.

I have been tolled that the older X Server version 3.3.6 is used to get this 
configuration working (running RedHat 7.1 on a DEC Multia MultiClient Desktop)
The info I got was that the XFree-TGA file is included with RedHat 7.1 for 
Alpha. To get this working I would have to install 
XFree86-TGA-3.3.6-38.alpha.rpm, and make sure that the symbolic link in 
/ect/X11 for X points to /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_TGA, instead of 
/usr/X11R6/bin/XFree86, and use XF86Config rather than XFConfig-4

Only one problem I don't know how to do this!!! I'm rather (Newbie) new to 
Linux and new to this kind of hardware. So if you can spare the time to offer 
some help it would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Ron Maggio

P.S. I will be posting this correspondence to the usenet, lugor, and ?