Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!elroy!peregrine!ccicpg!turnkey!conexch!root
From: root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.intel
Subject: How can I tell which '328 chips have the Erratum 21 bug?
Keywords: Intel, 80386, 80387, Erratum 21, bug
Message-ID: <9512@conexch.UUCP>
Date: 18 Oct 88 02:24:01 GMT
Reply-To: root@conexch.UUCP (Larry Dighera)
Organization: The Consultants' Exchange, Orange County, CA.  (714) 842-6348
Lines: 47

>Subject: Re: Erratum 21
>In-reply-to: your article <9220@conexch.UUCP>
>
>   All currently available 386's have errata 21. It is not a matter of
>testing to find what percentage does not experience the symptoms. There is
>a bug in the current microcode inside the chip that will always hang the 
>floating point instruction under certain external conditions. The next
>revision of 386 (D step) solves this problem, it's already been tested.
>Unfortunately, these ar not generally available yet.
>
>   There are the add in boards available that solve errata 21 problems.
>We sell one, other companies do also. Be careful when you buy one though.
>Ours will work in any 386 system that it mechanically fits in (and that does
>not have electrical problems). The other product we have seen will only work in
>clones that do not decode the A31 through A24, I guess they figure that it
>is an acceptable tradeoff for saving $5 and a square inch of daughter board.
>
>							-Jim Wall
>							Bell Technologies Inc.
>							(415)659-9097
 






Jim:
 
I'm sure you are aware that SCO's Xenix 386 product will detect systems 
with Erratum 21 type errors, and boot a Kernel that refuses to recognize
the '387 chip.  Everex is shipping a 386/20 system that passes this test,
and recognizes the '387 coporcessor.  Therefore, '386 chips with the
Erratum 21 problem are available now.  

The question still stands:

	How can I deturmine which '386 chips don't have the Erratum
	21 bug. 

Larry Dighera

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