9585 Type 1 Planar

9585 "X"

rf9585a.exe Reference Disk v1.11 (zipped image)
rd9585a.exe Diagnostic Disk v1.11 (zipped image)
postbios.exe BIOS Flash Update v1.10/1.11* (zipped image)
   Updates BIOS to revision level 02. Needed to support ECC-P.
   * IBM had this marked as v1.11 on their servers, the floppy itself reports v1.10.

192-224 IBM PS/2 Server 85 (9585-0X6, 0XA and 0XF)
193-207 IBM PS/2 Server 85 (9585-0XG)

486 Interposers and Upgrades

Specifications
   Memory
   Features
9585 X Planar
9585-X Supports Display Panel!
EE Floppy Support
What is ECC-P?
ASCII Terminal
Onboard SCSI
   Maximum IML Drive Size
   X Without IML Partition?
ADF Sections


Memory

RAM

  • 2, 4, and 8 MB 70 ns parity SIMMs for a max of 64 MB.
  • Supports SIMMs of different speeds and sizes and single SIMM installations
  • (sounds like the Type 2 H/L complex)

Cache

  • L1: 8 KB (486SX)
  • L2: no L2 cache

Features

The PS/2 Server 85 (announced Sept 21, 1992) was to replace the PS/2 Model 80.


9585 X Planar FRU P/N 92F0270, P/N 71G6646, "THE DELIVERY BOYS"

Note: Two different layouts of the board exist. The most notable difference is the position of the F5-F8 PTC fuses. On the other variant the fuses are shifted to the right with F5 & F6 being directly below U46-SX.

A1-4 72-pin SIMM socket Bank A (J23-26)
B1-4 72-pin SIMM socket Bank B (J19-22)
B1 -12 V bus bar
B2 +12 V bus bar
BH1 Battery (CR2032)
F3 SCSI fuse
F4 Keyboard fuse
F5-8 PTC fuse
FVT Unknown 3 vias
J1,3,4,7,10,12 32-bit MCA slots
J2 Indicator Panel Connector
J8 44-pin Floppy Connector (2 keys)
J9 32-bit MCA slot w/ BVE
J11 32-bit MCA slot w/ AVE
J13 Pads for 4-pin SCSI diag. header
J14 Internal SCSI (50-pin)
J15 Pads for 3-pin jumper (50/66 MHz)
J16 Power Supply Connector
J17 EEPROM prog. pads (solder side)
J27 Keyboard Port
J28 Mouse Port
J201 Parallel Port
J203 DE9 Serial Port
J451 External SCSI (C60)
JMP1 Power-on Password (J5)
JMP2 Privileged-access (J6)
JMP5 Recovery Jumper (J18)
U2 Dallas DS1485S RTC/CMOS/NVRAM
U4 LM386 Audio op-amp (PC Speaker)
U9 14.3181 MHz osc (adapters)
U16 82077SL Floppy controller
U22 24.0000 MHz osc (FDC)
U46-SX 486SX-33 BQFP (soldered)
U49-M 10G7808 DMA Controller
U50 80C188-16 MCU (SCSI)
U51 SCSI microcode 39G2066
U52 CXK58257AML-12L 32Kx8 SRAM (SCSI µC RAM)
U53-G 15F6903 SCSI Cache/data flow controller
U54-K 33F6715 SCSI MCA iface/BM DMA controller
U56 ODP socket
U57-PJ 59G1883 SYS#1?
U60-PG 59G1885 SYS#2?
U62 32.0000 MHz osc (SCSI MCU)
U64 HM514280LJP8 256Kx18 DRAM (SCSI cache)
U65-G 10G4672 I/O controller
U66 25.0000 MHz osc (SCSI cache ctrl)
U67 20.0000 MHz osc (planar I/O bus?)
U68 84F8324 SCSI bus controller
U70 Pads for 50.0000 MHz osc
U71 66.0000 MHz osc (CPU)
U77 22.1184 MHz osc (UART)
U78 ST93C56M1 2kbit Serial EEPROM
U84 Flash ROM BIOS 52G9743
U97 Flash ROM BIOS 52G9742
Y1 32.768 kHz xtal (RTC)

This planar uses the same core logic as the Upgrade Type-A Complex and PS/55 Model 5551-N/Y.

U70 solder pads for another oscillator. Possibly a different CPU speed? Like 25MHz?
J15 Three pin header marked "55" and "66"
FVT is what? Small outline, not big enough for a normal header. Not sure. Maybe something to switch between an ODP and ODPR? Need to test where the traces go...
F5-8 PTC fuses on the planar power traces (like 85-K/N and 95A planars).

J13 - SCSI Diagnostic Port

PinDescription
1RXD (U33 pin 45)
2Ground
3N/C (key)
4TXD (U33 pin 93)

Not populated. The port can be used to access the Serial Console.


9585-X Supports Display Panel!

Major Tom:
   Just checked, and the 85-X BIOS contains pretty much the same checkpoint routines as the later 90/95 T4 and 85-K/N SurePath BIOS. It outputs the CP codes to ports 108 - 10Fh as the other systems do, and the checkpoint routines are actually being called by the POST code. So if the planar logic indeed is there, you should see the CP codes on the Op Panel [when you plug it in place of the stock Indicator Panel].

David Beem:
   Confirmed - I have a spare panel displaying information when I did nothing more than unplugging the speaker/power switch board and plugged it in.

9585-X Operator Panel Support Components, Front

U123 (74F138), U125 (74ALS245), and R261 (10 kΩ, pkg #0805) are populated.

9585-X Operator Panel Support Components, Back

R262 (100 Ω, pkg #0805) and R263 (30 - 70 Ω, pkg #0805) are populated.

9585-X Planar close-ups from David Beem.


EE Floppy Support

From Su Wadlow:
   The 9585 X models have the 44-pin connector needed for use of the electronic eject floppy. Just waiting on software...


What is ECC-P?

ECC-P support is BIOS code that provides for selectable memory error detection and correction of single bit errors (detection only of all double bit errors and some 3- and 4-bit errors) using standard FPM. With ECC-P the detection and correction takes place in the memory controller rather than in the ECC SIMM as on the Server 95.

For more on this fascinating subject, go HERE.


ASCII Terminal

The IBM PS/2 Model 85 contains a console select utility that allows systems console operations to be performed by an ASCII terminal via the system asynchronous communications port (serial port) pre-installed on the system hard disk. If this option is selected, an ASCII terminal must be connected to the serial port at the time of selection.


Onboard SCSI

From Peter Wendt:
   The onboard SCSI of the 95xx is often referred as "Spock-Prime" - and is (almost) identical to the later SCSI with cache... with the exception of the cache, which it hasn't got. From the design it is *very* similar to the short SCSI without cache, which has an 80C188-16 as well. The SCSI microcode however is part of the machine BIOS stored in a single small 16-bit PLCC EPROM if I remember correctly. There is a part of the SCSI code also included in the IML. This adapter can be found on the 9556/9557, the "Bermuda" 9576/9577 - and the "small" 9585-0Xx.

If you look closely at the 9585-xXx planar you will find some SMD transistor "of the bigger kind" and some stuff that looks like "auto-termination". In addition the onboard SCSI adapter of the "Spock-Prime" is described as "SCSI-2 compliant"... which extends on the command set in the first place, the enhanced SCSI translation and on the electric interface as well I think. But not on the speed of course, which is 5 MB/s SCSI-1 standard.

David Beem elucidates:
   As David Beem's SCSI microcode levels shows, the 9585 'X' SCSI microcode is specifically held in U51 (not contradicting Peter at all, but actually confirming his memory is correct & enhancing the statement). The 25h/37d microcode level is pretty standard for a few different IBM SCSI adapters & planars (and the same FRU-numbered EPROM is also used on the Bermuda planar). Conceivably it could be upgraded to a 26h/38d level with a burner & soldering skills (at what benefit is unknown).

Although the newer BIOS image (for lack of a better term) wouldn't update the SCSI microcode, it may change the "ROM BIOS Extension" SCSI code to give larger hard drive support. What is the difference between the two? Does the splash screen or anything in the system setup change?

Maximum IML Drive Size

> Peter, isn't the on-board X SCSI analogous to the late SCSI w/cache? In which case it can handle 3.94GB as IML and 8GB or so drives?

From Peter (edited):
   More related to the short SCSI w/o cache, but nonetheless limited to <1GB IML drive. They must have used the old microcode and the BIOS doesn't support it either.

There was a POST BIOS upgrade available for the -xXx, but as far as I recall it does not change this misbehavior. I've experienced that back in '94 or so: A customer wanted bigger HDs and bought 1.08GB DPES... installed IML - seemed to work until you'd switched off and cold-started the -0XA. After that you got an IML error. No Way. IBM confirmed that the -xXx is not over 1GB capable. Only way to leave a smaller IML HD in the machine.

Skywkr666 says:
   I'm sorry to say, but I have an 9585 OXG with a 2 gig HD that it registers, uses, and boots from. IBM's flat out wrong.

From William Walsh:
   Further empirical evidence of over 2GB support... all the 9585 boxes I picked up from Texas (0XF, 0XG) will happily use a 2GB (or bigger!) hard disk. I already mentioned the DCAS drive, the rest are using Seagate Barracuda drives. I have one with a 3GB Micropolis drive in it, and it works too... right down to the convenience partition and all.

I tried a 60GB Seagate SCA disk in one of them. OS/2 Warp 4 saw it properly, system programs showed a negative number value, somewhere around -15GB IIRC. Of course, I just had to LLF the drive... and that diddled it. I've tried a lot of things but haven't gotten that drive going again.

X Without IML Partition?

> The K/N can run without a partition, can the X do it as well?

William Walsh asserts:
   The 0XF and 0XG variants sure can! I've done it... booted a Win95 boot disk with no hard disks plugged in or working. The system only threw an error when it couldn't boot into anything...

Major Tom adds:
   Yes, the 85 X is a non-IML system - there's a complete copy of the POST/BIOS code stored in the flash memory on the planar. However, if the system isn't configured properly (or at all), you may end up with a somewhat misleading error I9990303 ("System Partition boot failure"). But that should go away when you run the automatic configuration from the reference disk. Once that's done, it's possible to start the system from *any* bootable floppy or hard-drive, and as long as your CMOS battery is ok, things should remain that way even after power-cycling the machine. If the battery is weak, the I9990303 error will likely return. Either way, no IML images are required (or provided).

Ed. If it is akin to the Type 4 based systems, then it might be able to lay and use a convenience partition on drives up to the 8GB limit.


ADF Sections AdapterId FFDC 9585 X Planar

Serial Port
   Choose Serial 1 - 16, or disabled. IRQ 4 (serial 1) and IRQ 3 for other serial ports
      <"SERIAL 1, IRQ 4">, many more, "Disabled"

Parallel Port
   The parallel port can be Parallel 1 - 4 or disabled.
      <"PARALLEL 1">, 2, 3, 4, Disabled
Ed. Parallel 2 is Windows LPT1 378-37Dh, IRQ7

Parallel Port DMA Arbitration Level
   The parallel port can use any one of the DMA arbitration levels. If "shared", other devices can use the same level. If "dedicated", only this device can use that level.
      <Disabled> places port in compatibility mode.
      <"Shared level 7">, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 0, Dedicated 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 0, Disabled

SCSI Address (ID)
   ID of the built-in SCSI controller.  Default is <7>
      <"7">, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0

SCSI I/O Address select
   I/O address of built-in SCSI controller. Default <3540h-3547h>.
      <"3540h-3547h">, 3548-354F, 3550-3557, 3558-355F, 3560-3567, 3568-356F, 3570-3577, 3578-357F

SCSI Fairness On/Off
   SCSI controller will release control of the bus when it has been using it exclusively. Under normal circumstances, select <On>
      <"On">, Off

SCSI DMA Arbitration Level
   The SCSI controller can use one of the available arbitration levels. Selecting an arbitration level allows only this device to use the value.
      <"Level C">, D, E, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B

ADPItem 1 Alternate Processor
   Type of processor currently installed in the alternate processor socket on the planar.

ADPItem 2 Current System Speed
   Current speed of the system.

ADPItem 3 Memory-Checking Method
   Method used to check system memory, either parity or ECC-P (error-correcting code). The ECC-checking method allows the computer to continue to operate in the presence of single-bit memory failures. ECC-P requires the POST/BIOS upgrade.

Note: If a bad-battery error (161) or a configuration-integrity error (173) occurs, the configuration will be reset to use the parity-checking method.

Content created and/or collected by:
Louis F. Ohland, Peter H. Wendt, David L. Beem, William R. Walsh, Tatsuo Sunagawa, Tomáš Slavotínek, Jim Shorney, Tim N. Clarke, Kevin Bowling, and many others.

Ardent Tool of Capitalism is maintained by Tomáš Slavotínek.
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