Alpha Processor Archive
Restored pages of alpha-processor.com at their original addresses, plus new articles on the Alpha platform — history, restoration guides and deep dives.
Latest articles & restored pages
Why the Alpha 21264 Still Matters to CPU Designers
How the Alpha 21264's out-of-order core, clustered integer units and tournament branch predictor shaped the design of later x86, ARM and RISC-V processors.
ArticleRunning Linux on Alpha Hardware Today: Distributions, Kernels and Pitfalls
A 2026 guide to running Linux on Alpha: Debian ports and Gentoo, mainline kernel status, installing on UP1000 and UP2000 boards, and the usual pitfalls.
ArticleEmulating Alpha Systems with QEMU and ES40: A Practical Guide
Run Alpha software without the hardware: qemu-system-alpha's clipper machine for Linux, the ES40 emulator for genuine SRM, OpenVMS and Tru64, and their limits.
ArticleRestoring a UP1000 Motherboard: Capacitors, Firmware and First Boot
Bringing an API UP1000 back to life: inspection, power supply needs, recapping, the Slot B module, memory, firmware recovery and a safe first boot checklist.
ArticleSRM, AlphaBIOS and MILO Explained: How Alpha Machines Boot
A practical guide to Alpha console firmware: SRM, AlphaBIOS and MILO, boot variables, the aboot loader, and which operating system needs which firmware.
ArticleHow the EV6 Bus Connected Alpha and the AMD Athlon
How DEC's EV6 system bus was licensed to AMD for the Athlon, why its double-pumped point-to-point design mattered, and how the UP1000 reused Irongate parts.
ArticleFrom LDT to HyperTransport: The API NetWorks Connection
How AMD's Lightning Data Transport became HyperTransport, what API NetWorks built with it, and how the interconnect lived on in Opteron-era servers.
ArticleAlpha Linux and the Beowulf Era of Cluster Computing
Why Alpha's floating-point lead made it the chip of choice for early Linux Beowulf clusters, plus Myrinet, SCI/WulfKit, Linux NetworX and the Cray alliance.
ArticleA Collector's Guide to Alpha Motherboards and Workstations
Which Alpha boards and workstations to hunt for in 2026, from UP1000 and UP2000 to 164LX and DS10/XP1000-class machines, what to inspect and what fails.
ArticleEV7, EV8 and the End of the Alpha Roadmap
The 21364's integrated memory controller and router, the cancelled SMT-based EV8, Compaq's 2001 Itanium decision and where the Alpha engineers and ideas went.
ArticleAlpha Memory Configuration: DIMM Pairing, ECC and Interleaving
How Alpha systems expect memory: registered ECC SDRAM, matched DIMM sets, interleaving, and a practical SRM procedure for isolating failing modules.
ArticleWindows NT on Alpha and FX!32 Binary Translation
A look back at NT 4.0 on Alpha, the AlphaBIOS firmware, how FX!32 translated and cached x86 code, and why Windows 2000 for Alpha was cancelled in 1999.