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How long is NVRAM good or what are the chances I can get the EISA cfg off of a MB?

Shadow Lord

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Jun 16, 2010
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Hello All,

I have been in the process of trying to get an old EISA 486 MB to work for a while now. Assuming I can get the PSU working the next step would be getting setup w/ the ECU. I have looked high and low (and apparently have some other members on this board) for the CFG and OVL files for this board w/out any success. The board is an Everex EV-18113 REV E. It was used in one of the MegaCube line of servers. According to the way back machine the complete package for this MB was released by Everex as EISA_B01.exe. I have managed to find the Everex ECU utils/package plus CFG and OVL for another Everex EISA MB but nothing for this board.

I was wondering what are the chances that the NVRAM still contains the CFG and OVL files and that they could be backed up using the ECU? As I understand it NVRAM is non-volatile and does not req. battery backup. So theoretically it should still be intact but realistically will it be? Thanks in advance!
 
It won't contain everything needed in NVRAM... Also, depending on the board, the NVRAM may be battery backed - look for a thick Dallas Semiconductor or ZeroPower RAM chip... Those have batteries inside and they will eventually die.

They can be modified with external batteries if they should ever die. There are instructions on the web for that.

The data in the NVRAM is specific to the cards and the slots they are in. Without the disks you will be limited to the specific cards and specific slots to get the system running.
 
It won't contain everything needed in NVRAM... Also, depending on the board, the NVRAM may be battery backed - look for a thick Dallas Semiconductor or ZeroPower RAM chip... Those have batteries inside and they will eventually die.

They can be modified with external batteries if they should ever die. There are instructions on the web for that.

The data in the NVRAM is specific to the cards and the slots they are in. Without the disks you will be limited to the specific cards and specific slots to get the system running.

That is disappointing news. W/out the ECU CFG/OVL I can't using anything but ISA cards, correct? I've looked at the board and honestly I have not seen any of these chips although there are two RTC looking chips marked as CTC. The CMOS itself is backed up by a Tadiran LiIon battery. I'll have to get the board to POST before worrying more about those. I was hoping I could avoid the ECU issue but looks like it will be a problem.
 
When I hear NVRAM, I think of the Xicor chips, such as the X2444, that were an early form of flash-backed SRAM. (You can find them on old network cards and on other cards such as the Intel Aboveboard). That's what Xicor called them--battery-backed SRAM is a different matter, however. NVRAM should hold its settings nearly forever (at least in the common mortal sense).
 
Well, the EISA manuals I have found refer to the data being stored in NVRAM. I assumed they meant it just like the NVRAM that you find in some modems. Or are they referring to battery backed SRAM?
 
Heh, from what I've seen, "Non-volatile RAM" can mean whatever a writer wants it to mean. I get a kick out of people referring to the configuration ROM on more modern PCs as "CMOS". In fact, almost all of a modern PC (or even one built in the last 20 years) is CMOS. NMOS, PMOS and TTL technology hasn't been used in PCs for quite some time.

Perhaps referring to it as the "configuration memory" might be more meaningful.
 
Thanks for linkage Unknown_K. I had one of the OVL files and one of the CFG but not the other. Although, neither seem to be for this board (ev-18113). I also have (what I believe are) newer versions of the ECU util. If you are interested I'd be happy to send them up to you. Thanks again!
 
If and when you get the board to turn on it will give you the filename it needs and I will see if I have it (and its not in the files I linked to).
 
I will get this board to turn on if it is the last thing I do. I have waited 20 years for this computer and it will turn on even if it is to give off the magic smoke! :) Just kidding, but I am working on it and fully plan on getting it to work!
 
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