The
sti was created by HP to provide uniform frame-buffer access operations for their 9000/300 and 9000/700 series of workstations.
The following models are supported (though not all features or frame buffer depths may be available):
Model
Bits
Mem
3D
Machines/Cards
Stinger
8
2
HP9000/7[12]5/74[257]i
Artist
8
2
HP9000/712/7[12]5/74[38]i
Visualize EG
16
2
HP B/C-class, GSC/PCI
Implementation consists of a set of functions burnt in to the PROM on the card and providing the following set of functions (see below for PROM revision history on functions supported by particular PROM revision):
•
Print a character onto the screen using currently selected font.
•
Copy a region of the frame-buffer to another location.
•
Frame-buffer configuration enquiry.
•
Setting colour-map entry.
•
Miscellaneous utility functions.
There are two modes for accessing the PROM: “byte” and “word” mode. In “byte” mode each 4-byte word contains only the low-ordered big-endian byte of data; i.e., to compose one word of data 4 words should be read and low-ordered bytes of those should be shifted correspondingly. In “word” mode each word contains all 4 bytes of valid data.
PROM revision history:
8.03
•
OSF-extended self test (a.k.a fast).
8.04
•
Implement curr_mon function.
•
Implement “block move”.
•
Implement “set colour-map entry”. sti Implement word mode.
•
Support for multiple monitors.
•
Support user_data sti space usage.
•
Support for extra memory.
•
Support for Windows NT (tm).
•
Monitor frequency reference.
•
Support added for: PCXL, GSC bus, ROM-less operation.
8.05
•
Report card's power usage.
8.06
•
Monitor table descriptor strings.
•
PCXL2 and PCXU monitor descriptors.
8.08
•
HP-UX 10 support for Visualize FX
•
dma_ctrl function added.
•
flow_ctrl function added.
•
user_timing function added.
8.09
•
Addition changes for Visualize FX due to rearchitecture for performance.
•
process_mgr function added.
8.0a
PCXL2 and PCXU dual PCI EPROM map mode, implemented on Visualize EG.
8.0b
Support for HP-UX non-implicit locking DMA, implemented on Visualize FXE.
8.0c
sti_util function added (flashing under HP-UX and other sideband traffic).
8.0d
Colour frame buffer support.