IBM PS/2 486-25/50 MICROPROCESSOR UPGRADE OPTION Contents Announcement Letter Number 192-100 dated April 28, 1992 US - Last Revised on April 28, 1992 Brief Description of Announcement, Charges, and Availability IBM introduces a new microprocessor upgrade option, designed for installation in the second processor socket of the Personal System/2 (R) (PS/2 (R)) Model 90 XP 486 (8590-0H5 and 0H9) and 95 XP 486 (8595-0H9 and 0HF) system units. The upgrade, consisting of the new Intel ODP486SX-25 (1) microprocessor and a new Reference Diskette, provides higher levels of processor performance at a very attractive price for these selected PS/2 systems. The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option (#2093, 32G3374) features an internal processing speed of 50MHz and an external speed of 25MHz. It includes an internal memory cache controller, 8KB memory cache and integrated floating-point processor unit. Planned Availability: June 1992 (R) Registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. (1) Trademark of Intel Corporation. Customer Letter Section HIGHLIGHTS o Dual-speed, 32-bit microprocessor o Internal memory cache controller and 8KB internal memory cache o Internal floating point processor unit DESCRIPTION INVESTMENT PROTECTION The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option provides the capability to easily upgrade system performance, while maintaining compatibility with a wide range of PS/2 operating systems. Customer applications requiring greater processor performance or numeric processing capability can now be addressed with a cost-effective microprocessor upgrade. This upgrade is easily installed in the coprocessor socket of PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 (0H5 and 0H9) and 95 XP (0H9 and 0HF) systems by either an IBM or an IBM Authorized Remarketer service technician. BIOS support for this new microprocessor can be loaded quickly onto the fixed disk of the Model 90 XP 486 or 95 XP 486 from the new Reference Diskette, provided as a part of this upgrade option package. In upgrading to the microprocessor, customers have another convenient method to protect their investment in selected models of the PS/2 Model 90 XP and 95 XP 486 systems. GROWTH ENABLEMENT The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option offers PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 customers, with 486SX/25MHz systems, a higher level of performance and growth capability to handle more compute-intensive applications. USER PRODUCTIVITY The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option enhances end-user productivity by maintaining hardware and software compatibility with the base system, features and applications. Common user interface (CUA) enables significant performance enhancements and increased productivity without new system education, commands or unique instructions. PRODUCT POSITIONING The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option provides investment protection by allowing a user to upgrade easily from selected models of the PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 to the newest Intel microprocessor technology. The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option offers an outstanding value for PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 (0H5 and 0H9) and 95 XP 486 (0H9 and 0HF) customers seeking a measure of additional performance at an attractive price. The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option is appropriate for server or workstation environments where improved performance and computational capabilities are required. PUBLICATIONS The following publications are shipped with the product: o Installation Instructions -- illustrations and descriptions explaining the installation procedures for the PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option o Personal System/2 Model 90 486 Quick Reference o Personal System/2 Model 95 486 Quick Reference. EDUCATION SUPPORT All educational, self-study and classroom materials are available under the system support area. Call IBM Direct -- Education at 1-800-IBM-TEACh (426-8322) for schedules, enrollments and orders for self-study courses. TECHNICAL INFORMATION SPECIFIED OPERATING ENVIRONMENT MACHINE REQUIREMENTS: The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option can be installed in PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 (0H5 and 0H9) and 95 XP 486 (0H9 and 0HF) systems in the separate coprocessor socket. The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option requires a unique reference diskette that is identified by a '2' on the reference diskette label. The diskette is shipped with the option. PROGRAMMING REQUIREMENTS: The following operating systems and extensions support the PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option when installed in the appropriate model of the PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486: o Operating System/2 (R) Standard Edition (OS/2 (R) SE) 1.30.2 (2) o OS/2 2.0 (2) o OS/2 Extended Edition (OS/2 EE) 1.30.2 (2) o OS/2 LAN Server 2.0 Entry and Advanced o OS/2 Extended Services 1.0 o Disk Operating System (DOS) 5.0 (3) o AIX (R) PS/2 1.2.1 (4) o IBM 4680 Operating System Versions 2 and 4 o NetWare (5) v2.2 and v3.11 (when certified by Novell; testing is not complete at this time). All of the above operating systems provide support for up to 16MB of memory on the PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486. However, OS/2 2.0, AIX PS/2 1.2.1 (with the application of PTF #P211300), SCO (6) UNIX (7) System V/386 Version 3.2v4.0 and NetWare v2.2 and v3.11 operating systems provide support for greater than 16MB of memory on the PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 systems. (R) Registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. (2) OS/2 SE, OS/2 EE 1.30.2 and OS/2 2.0 support up to 24 fixed disks. (3) DOS 5.0 supports up to seven fixed disk devices and additional SCSI devices (up to a total of 24) in a system. (4) AIX PS/2 1.2.1 (with the application of PTF #P211300) will exploit the PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option when installed in the appropriate PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486. (5) Registered trademark of Novell, Inc. (6) Trademark of Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. (7) Registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc. COMPATIBILITY: The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option is designed to maintain compatibility with many software programs currently operating under DOS and OS/2 on the Personal Computer XT (TM), Personal Computer AT (R) and the PS/2 family. The PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 contain licensed System Programs that include set configuration and features, test, copy an option diskette, backup/restore and update System Programs. These licensed System Programs are stored in a 3MB protected partition on the fixed disk drive. The initial machine load (IML) loads the BIOS program from the fixed disk drive into system memory. BIOS provides the hardware instructions and interfaces designed to support the standard features of the PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 and maintains compatibility with many software programs currently operating under DOS and OS/2 on the IBM Personal Computer XT, IBM Personal Computer AT and the PS/2 family. However, due to the higher speed of the ODP486SX-25 microprocessor, some timing sensitive software may require modification. The PS/2 Models 90 XP 486 and 95 XP 486 Reference Diskette contains an update program (DISK386.SYS) and an installation program. The update program maintains compatibility between SCSI devices, IBM DOS, and some of the following types of programs that assume the fixed disk drive will utilize the system direct memory access (DMA) controller: o Multitasking DOS programs o Programs written for the 80386 microprocessor only o Programs that use the virtual 8086 mode of the 80386 microprocessor o Programs that emulate expanded memory specification (EMS) in extended memory. The update program should only be installed when applications providing DOS and/or memory extensions fail to work properly. For example, an application may fail to load and return the DOS prompt, or when attempting to access a SCSI device, the system may hang, or the screen may go blank. With this update program installed, a buffer is provided in the first megabyte of system memory, which serves as an intermediate location for data being transferred between the SCSI adapter and the requesting program buffer. While this update program allows applications that utilize the system DMA controller to run, some performance degradation in file access time may be experienced. Only after problems have been experienced, and the performance implications considered, should this update program be used. (TM) Trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. (R) Registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. LIMITATIONS: Only one coprocessor at a time may be installed on the processor complex in a PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 (8590-0H5 and 0H9) or 95 XP 486 (8595-0H9 and 0HF) system. Refer to the PROGRAMMING REQUIREMENTS section for operating systems limitations. The licensed System Programs include set configuration and features, copy an option diskette, test, backup/restore and update System Program. These licensed System Programs are stored in 3MB (three million bytes) of protected partition on the fixed disk drive. The formatted capacity is therefore reduced by 3MB, and the total user accessible capacity may vary slightly based on operating environments. This partition is not affected when the drive is formatted using the Format command provided in DOS or OS/2. The licensed System Programs are also provided on the Reference Diskette that comes with the PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option. PLANNING INFORMATION CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES: The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option is installable by IBM or an IBM Authorized Remarketer. Customers should contact their IBM marketing representative or an IBM Authorized Remarketer to arrange for installation. CABLE ORDERS: No cables required. PACKAGING: 486-25/50 MICROPROCESSOR UPGRADE OPTION (SHIPMENT GROUP): 486-25/50 Microprocessor o Installation Instructions o Reference and Diagnostic Diskettes o 8590 and 8595 Quick References SECURITY, AUDITABILITY AND CONTROL The PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option uses the security and auditability features of the PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 or 95 XP 486 in which the option is installed. User management is responsible for evaluation, selection and implementation of security features, administrative procedures and appropriate controls in application systems and communications facilities. TERMS AND CONDITIONS WARRANTY PERIOD: One year. FIELD INSTALLABLE FEATURE: Yes. Installable by IBM or an IBM Authorized Remarketer. CUSTOMER SET-UP: No. All other terms and conditions are the same as those applicable to the PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 or 95 XP 486 system in which the feature is installed. CHARGES FEATURE PURCHASE DESCRIPTION NUMBER PRICE PS/2 486-25/50 Microprocessor Upgrade Option -- from 486SX/25 2093 $845