This new desktop computer is compatible with eComStation. It features an Intel Core i7 processor and an SSD boot drive and six PCI slots.
This section documents what I did to get this computer to work under eComStation. It is intended to show what goes into this computer, and also as a guide to the user who wants to build it himself.
I ordered the parts from NewEgg and the CPU from a small shop in Silicon Valley.
Only 512 MB RAM are available using the IBM OS/2 Loader. Using QSINIT Loader 3300 MB are available. (more or less with BIOS video buffer settings) QSINIT is not compatible with the Arca Noae MultiMac driver. Use the one in eComStation 2.2 b2 instead. Don't install Arca Noae UniAud, either. The one in eCS 2.2 b2 is working.
I installed two bootable volumes, H: and N:. The H: drive has my server-H installation with SAMBA server included. The N: installation has the traditional IBM NETBIOS and NetBIOS over TCP/IP networking from the IBM File and Print Client.
On each eComStation installation, I replace the ndpsmb.dll to prevent damage to my SAMBA server files. Then I save the installations in the eCS22 directory. If you want the bare eCS installation, this is what you get.
The external monitor works after this:
PanoUtil -d 1 n:
PanoUtil -c 1920 1200
DOS window sessions work after this:
add /int10textgrfxsafe to vsvga.sys device driver in config.sys
add mode co80; cls to autoexec.bat
The eShutdown setting to delay before power off is enabled. Without this setting, the file systems come up dirty after power off, and sometimes the INI files are not saved. No errors were found after enabling the delay, which is actually on by default. I only disabled it to quiet the little beeps on shutdown.
Using Suntan Special, I define an installation sequence that includes QSINIT to set up the loader. The suite of Arca Noae drivers is installed, except for MultiMac and UniAud. After that I run Suntan Special sequences eCS22, apps, games and cleanup. This is saved as the Factory image. This is normally what would be supplied on the computer.
To make the bootable recovery DVD, the bootable program is used. The program object for bootAble is changed. The environment page has the following addition, which is case-sensitive:
PATH=h:\dvddao;h:\cdrtools2;%PATH% Notable options are to use GenGRADD at 1024 x 768, AMOUSE.SYS, ACPI with MAXCPU=1 and the original IBM Loader. AMOUSE, config.sys and the IBM loader must be hand applied after the boot files are created.The computer is set up to connect via ethernet cable. The interface has been set up to configure automatically.
The USB 2.0 ports support keyboards, mice, scanners, thumb drives, cameras, MP3 players, external hard drives, floppies and CD Writers.
The DVD drive can read and write DVD and CD media.
I use Suntan Special to install the software on all Blonde Guy computers. Suntan Special software can be used to install all updates to the system and its applications and to install additional applications. When newer versions of software are released, Suntan Special can keep your Blonde Guy computer up to date.
Suntan Special was used to bring the system up to date on August 8, 2016.
The recovery DVD supplied is a bootable eComStation DVD with a backup of the hard drive as delivered. You can boot the machine from DVD, and perform maintenance functions. The maintenance folder is available on the recovery DVD. The factory backup is stored in the \image\Factory directory. The backups are simple zip files. You can use unzip to extract some or all of the files in a backup.
DFSee is a generic disk, partition and filesystem utility for maintenance and data-recovery. It supports partition tables (FDISK, LVM), FAT, FAT32, HPFS, NTFS, and partly JFS, EXT2/3 or REISER filesystems. DFSee is commercial software which requires a license key for continued use.
Height: 15.2 inches
Width: 8.3 inches
Depth: 19.7 inches
Weight: 29 lbs
Power consumption is 43 Watts, measured with the computer is booted to the desktop. With all 4 cores at 100% load, the computer consumes 76 Watts. This computer consumes 1 Watt if it's plugged in, but switched off.
The CPU fan is an upgraded unit that is more firmly attached to the motherboard and CPU socket.
The disk is partitioned to provide two bootable partitions, one for use as a server and including SAMBA server, and the other is set up for as a tradtional NetBIOS networking using the IBM File and Print client. User data is stored on a separate volume.
This is the layout for the SSD plus a 2 TB hard drive. The Air-Boot boot manager is installed to select the volume to be started.
| Volume Name | Disk Format | Drive Letter | Volume Size | Disk Name | eCS-N | JFS | N: | 10,001 MB | Mushkin 60 GB | server-H | JFS | H: | 10,001 MB | Mushkin 60 GB | Big Bunny | JFS | D: | 1,857,750 MB | WD Red |
eComStation 2.2 beta 2 (Dec 30) is the version used for this installation. This is the output of the version command.
For the server-H volume:
Installed Component Name Version Service Level Drive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Serenity Systems eComStation 2.2 XR0C007 H: . Base Operating System 4.52 XR0C007 H: . Base Device Drivers 4.52 XR0D003 H: . Base Networking (MPTS) 6.01 WR08708 H: . Internet Applications (TCP/IP) 4.32 UN02334 H:
For the eCS-N volume:
Installed Component Name Version Service Level Drive
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serenity Systems eComStation 2.2 XR0C007 N:
. Base Operating System 4.52 XR0C007 N:
. Base Device Drivers 4.52 XR0D003 N:
. Base Networking (MPTS) 6.01 WR08708 N:
. Internet Applications (TCP/IP) 4.32 UN02334 N:
. File and Printer Sharing (Peer) 5.2 IP08608 N:
. LAN Requester 5.2 IP08608 N:
. User Profile Management 5.2 WR08608 N:
This table reports the SysBench 0.9.5 benchmarks for this computer. You can download SysBench 0.9.5 here: http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/
| Category | Measurement |
|---|---|
| PM-Graphics-marks | 223 |
| CPU integer-marks | 13153 |
| CPU floating point-marks | 641 |
| DIVE-marks | 8760 |
| File I/O-marks | 82320 |
| Memory-marks | 17927 |
| Simultaneous I/O-marks | 19 |
To buy this computer, use the order button below. Be prepared to enter any special notes about your needs or customization for the computer. Blonde Guy will review your order and send you an invoice, payable using PayPal or any major credit card. If you prefer to pay by check, note that in the notes field of the order form, and I will e-mail you an invoice payable by check.
If you have questions, you may enter them in the notes portion of the order form.
The final price of the computer depends on tax, shipping and options. Shipping outside the USA is available, but it is costly.
The following table shows the options for licenses to be applied to this computer.
| Product | License | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| eComStation | Business | $290 |
| Home and Student | $145 | |
| User's own copy | $0 | |
| Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS drivers and software package | Commercial | $79 |
| Personal | $49 | |
| User's own copy | $0 |
The eComStation License is available three ways. For a business, the full license is required. For most other uses, a Home and Student license is sufficient. If you already have an eCS 2.1 license available for this machine, and you upload your license key, there is no charge for eComStation.
The Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS drivers and software package is available three ways. For a business, the commercial license is required. For most other uses, a Personal license is sufficient. If you already have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS drivers and software package available for this machine, there is no charge.