Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

A forum for Classic Amiga specific support issues.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

Hanzu wrote: I also received my preordered X-surf 100 this week and I can use A4000 + Mediator + Radeon 9250 256MB + ZorRAM 256MB + X-surf 100. The only card I had to unplug for X-surf 100 was Elbox FastATA VI.

When I look showconfig of OS3.9. I see how much address space Zorro cards consume:

8510 100 DCE Cyberstorm PPC 128k
2206 161 ELBOX A4000 ZORRO III/II PCI 512meg
2206 33 ELBOX Mediator PCI 4000 MK II 16meg
3643 32 ZorRAM 256MB 256meg
4626 100 X-surf 100 64meg
2206 67 FastATA VI 16meg
Not sure what PCI cards cosume, but I have Radeon 256MB 9250, Terratec Solo-1 and Terratec 512i in PCI slots and ZorRAM 256MB. Swap jumper is closed always anyway since nothing has ever worked without it.

The trick seems to be to install ZorRAM 256MB physically before X-surf 100 to get the big part of the lower address space for it. Installing X-surf 100 physically before ZorRAM 256MB always caused reset loop in power up.

Would changing from Radeon 256MB to 128MB free enough address space so I could use FastATA IV too?

What driver are you using for X-surf 100 + OS 4.1 Classic? I heard there is going to be a driver for it, but no idea who will provide it.
I just remembered that the Amy boots fine with the cards installed, but the X-surf 100 card refuses to connect (with the recommended downloaded drivers) if the autoconfig space is too "tight." You may find this is true in your situation when you get your OS 4.1 install working. Likely in OS3.9 too; my issue with the FastATA 4000 was with its ROM failing to allow 4.1 to boot and Elbox never answered my emails, so I sold it.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

There has been some discussion of the transfer speeds of the X-Surf 100 board out in the forums; my "2 cents" it that test beds (single defined hardware and software combinations) are only good in relation to that given combination. "Real World" estimates are just that, estimates; these are at best only good for a given number of test samples ( the big, N) when applied not to given downloads and uploads, but also ping times -- look at the variation in the OOKLA Speedtest App and the DSLreports website. One then has to evaluate various TCP/IP stacks, their optimizations, the speed of the intranet connection, modem speed, then time of day, etc. Once that is gathered, a meta-analysis has to be performed to be best able to fall asleep... This is why I feel that, "If it seems fast to you, then it is fast.

Samuel Clemens said that, "There are lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics!" Or remember the story of the two statisticians who went rabbit hunting; the first sees a rabbit and shoots a foot above it; the second grabs his rifle and shoots a foot below it, and they both rejoice in that they "got him."

My Roadshow stack together with my X-Surf 100 feels fast.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

Yes! Wrong forum and it deals strictly with the X1000 Box, but... This is how I made my X1000 silent: There are two (2) Fractal R2 fans -- 140mm, one front pulling and one rear pushing; at full 12V they are fully audible, at 5V (that little switch on the right-upper-front case) not too bad. However replaced with 2 Spectre BitFenix White 140mm fans, both are silent at 12V. The CPU fan (generic is loud), a 60 mm Noctua fan is quite quiet at 12V (3000 RPM), but completely silent at 2400 & 1600 RPM's using the provided connectors; I settled on "quite quiet." I tested a Silenz 120 mm Case fan on the bottom open grill, and since it was also completely silent, left it in place -- there is a spare "controlled" connector underneath the MB for it, and if I drop to 5V (Movie Time!) I want some good air movement. The OCZ PSU is nice, but loud; a not-so-surgical replacement with a White-on-black Silenz 140mm fan fixed that. I then added a layer of SilverStone SST-SF01 Foam padding to the case covers, and she is a silent beast. Case and CPU/Core temps (docky) are good.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

Back to a previous problem: How to get OS4.1 to print duplex on a PostScript printer?

For me, I need duplex output from a PostScript document with (so far) only three programs: Final Writer (Solved tonight), PageStream (if I can ever get a full featured version working), and AmiPDF and the like. I found the Final Writer soluition: use notepad with the contents below, and save it in the FWFiles folder as user-def.ps; it will become incorporated into the header of the document and cause duplexed output.

%%BeginFeature
<</Duplex true >> setpagedevice
%%EndFeature

As far as PageStream goes, I can't get any of the fully paid for PPC versions to work on either my A4000T nor my X1000; I now need to reinstall one of the older 68K versions and go from there. AmiPDF is next on my list, and it uses GhostScript to translate a PDF to PS output; there is a command line to call it up, but you can't just edit an executable file and add the "-dDUPLEX -dTUMBLE" options. It calls a lib file, pdf2dcs.PS that can be edited, but so far I've failed in reading that syntax properly; I bet what I need to do is bypass AmiPDF and write a GhostScript command within a iconX file to convert PDF's to PS and then display or print them. I just need to set aside the time to do it, and get "Semi-tough" in the mental attitude department (reference: Dan Jenkins); and I'll let y'all know. ;)
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

I couldn't find my copy of "Semi-Tough," but landed in the explicit prose of William Faulkner's "The Hamlet;" in any event, the pursuit of throwing my Dell 5130cdn printer into duplex mode using raw escape printer codes has failed. I made a simple 5 byte file with only the ESC&l1S and set it to the PAR: device (via the lpr.device) prior to a 2 page document and, when that failed, then "joined" to the front of a 2 page simple text document and sent it via a ">COPY sys:test to PAR:" with not the expected results. I feel I need to delve more into what happens between the Amiga and the print "engine" of the Dell.

There is also a discussion in the X1000 section on whether the "host based" HP 2600n that has networking firmware needs PostScript digested on the Intel or Mac before being sent, or has enough capability to decipher the PS code sent to it via GhostScript from Linux or possibly an OS4.1 based Amiga. Linux can print to this printer even though HP says there are no print engines for Linux. It seems: A) Stupid to design a networked printer with no innate processing as this ties up the computer crunching the code and then putting it on the wires of the network until the job finishes; B) Stupid to design a color laser printer with all that complex hardware, a CPU, and firmware, but not enough RAM to accept a print job off the wires and then disconnect. Since when does a hundred MB of ram cost more than the $100 per color cartridge that is requires to print in color. See: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm ... html?dnr=2

I'm just sayin' ...

In any event, I don't have one to test, just a perfectly good HP 2605dn that works perfectly with OS 4.1 over my network.
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by DarrenHD »

danbeaver wrote:Hi Calgor!

I didn't mean to discuss non-AmigaOS 4.1 issues; I was just peeved at the bait-and-switch scheme.

I meant to discuss OS 4.1's need for support of a generic USB pci card as they did for the RTL8029 NIC, the ESS Solo 1, the sii3114ide card, and various graphic cards. None of the USB options are available for sale.

I wanted to see what others are doing to conserve RAM and optimize swap partition use.

Dan

PS, Elbox offered to replace the card, so it is off to Poland.
I usually prefer t use the scsi hard drive attached to my csppc as swap, as it does benefit a little bit from DMA transfers, so cpu usage is not 100% as it is with the ZorRAM when swapping. ZorRAM seems a bit faster in terms of latency, though.
AmigaOS 4.x Beta Tester - Classic Amiga enthusiast - http://www.hd-zone.com is my Amiga Blog, check it out!
Delshay
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by Delshay »

As soon as I am able to test this device I will return back to a full SCSI set-up,so the only way for me to boot into OS4.x in the future will be via the PCMCIA or the native A1200 IDE slot.

DMA

http://www.artmix.com/j_home.html
Last edited by Delshay on Sat Feb 01, 2014 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

It seems many A1200 users complain of OS4.1 being slow, but having used the various options available on the A4000T (which has a more robust IDE interface, IMHO), the responsiveness seems to be HDD and video card related; setups on my A4000D's IDE interface "seem" noticeably slower using the same CSPPC.

Just food for thought.
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danbeaver
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by danbeaver »

In addition to the slow IDE (vs UWSCSI on the CSPPC up to 35 MB/s), the BPPC's fast memory access is not the same as the CSPPC (32-bit vs 64-bit) and despite the high clock rates of the 603e, the platform is not as robust as the 604e.

CPU Pipeline stages Misc
PowerPC 603 4 5 execution units, branch prediction. No SMP.
PowerPC 604 6 Superscalar, out-of-order execution, 6 execution units. SMP support.

Hence, saying it is OS4.1'S fault for being slow is not accurate if one is using an A1200.
Delshay
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Re: Understanding and Optimization of OS 4.1 for Classics

Post by Delshay »

danbeaver wrote:In addition to the slow IDE (vs UWSCSI on the CSPPC up to 35 MB/s), the BPPC's fast memory access is not the same as the CSPPC (32-bit vs 64-bit) and despite the high clock rates of the 603e, the platform is not as robust as the 604e.

CPU Pipeline stages Misc
PowerPC 603 4 5 execution units, branch prediction. No SMP.
PowerPC 604 6 Superscalar, out-of-order execution, 6 execution units. SMP support.

Hence, saying it is OS4.1'S fault for being slow is not accurate if one is using an A1200.
BPPC memory access is there right up there with CSPPC,but I am the only one that is able to use it.
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