Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!mcvax!ukc!etive!hwcs!zen!frank
From: frank@zen.co.uk (Frank Wales)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: looking for >32-bit address space
Message-ID: <1556@zen.UUCP>
Date: 5 Apr 89 12:59:35 GMT
References: <1032@myrias.UUCP> <3830004@hpcuhb.HP.COM>
Reply-To: frank@zen.co.uk (Frank Wales)
Organization: Zengrange Limited, Leeds, England
Lines: 29

In article <1032@myrias.UUCP> cmt@myrias.UUCP (Chris Thomson) writes:
>Are there any micros or chipsets out there that support an address space
>larger than 32 bits?

In article <3830004@hpcuhb.HP.COM> gupta@hpcuhb.HP.COM (Mayank Gupta) replies:
#HP saw this coming five years ago when we developed our HP-PA (Precision
#arcitecture "RISC").  This gives you:
#
#32 bit virtual and 32 bit physical addressing : Level 0 compliance.
#48 bit virtual and 32 bit physical addressing : Level 1 compliance.
#64 bit virtual and 32 bit physical addressing : Level 2 compliance.
#
#with a very comprehensive memory management system, including levels (> 2) of
#protection.

True, but the problem with HP-PA is that you can only get whole
machines built from it, rather than just a PA micro or chip set
(according to Joel Birnbaum, it existed in CMOS years ago).  Sun
clearly think there is mileage in licensing their SPARC architecture
to others, as do MIPS, and I am fearful for the long-term success of
PA while it remains an HP-only product.

So, at least in that sense, HP-PA doesn't qualify as an answer to Chris's
question, since he said "micros or chipsets," not "whole machines."

[Yes, I do like HP-PA -- this was written on it.]
--
Frank Wales, Systems Manager,        [frank@zen.co.uk<->mcvax!zen.co.uk!frank]
Zengrange Ltd., Greenfield Rd., Leeds, ENGLAND, LS9 8DB. (+44) 532 489048 x217