PowerPC Reference Platform: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Computer system architecture}}

{{Power Architecture}}

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{{POWER, PowerPC, and Power ISA}}

'''PowerPC Reference Platform''' ('''PReP''') was a standard [[system architecture]] for [[PowerPC]]-based hardwarecomputer systems (as well as a [[reference designimplementation]]) developed at the same time as the PowerPC architectureprocessor itselfarchitecture. ItPublished by [[IBM]] in 1994, it allowed hardware vendors to build a machine that could run various operating systems, especially [[Mac OS]],including [[Windows NT]] and various flavors of, [[UnixOS/2]], notably [[Solaris Operating(operating Environmentsystem)|Solaris]], [[Taligent]] and [[IBM AIX operating system|AIX]]. PReP systems were never popular, and the only vendors to actually ship PReP hardware were IBM and Motorola.

One of the stated goals of the PReP specification was to leverage standard PC hardware. [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], wishing to seamlessly transition its [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computers to PowerPC, found this to be particularly problematic. As it appeared no one was particularly happy with PReP, a new standard, the [[Common Hardware Reference Platform]] (CHRP), was developed and published in late 1995, incorporating the elements of both PReP and the [[Power Macintosh]] architecture. Key to CHRP was the requirement for [[Open Firmware]] (also required in PReP-compliant systems delivered after June 1, 1995), which gave vendors greatly improved support during the boot process, allowing the hardware to be far more varied.

'''PowerPC Reference Platform''' ('''PReP''') was a [[PowerPC]] hardware reference design developed at the same time as the PowerPC architecture itself. It allowed hardware vendors to build a machine that could run various operating systems, especially [[Mac OS]], [[Windows NT]] and various flavors of [[Unix]], notably [[Solaris Operating Environment|Solaris]] and [[AIX operating system|AIX]]. PReP systems were never popular, and the only vendors to actually ship PReP hardware were IBM and Motorola.

PReP systems were never popular.{{Clarify|reason=vague|date=January 2016}} Finding current, readily available operating systems for old PReP hardware can be difficult. [[Debian]] and [[NetBSD]] still maintain their respective ports to this architecture, although developer and user activity is extremely low.{{Clarify|reason=vague|date=January 2016}} The [[RTEMS]] real-time operating system provides a board support package for PReP which can be run utilizing the [[QEMU]] PReP emulator. This provides a convenient development environment for PowerPC-based real-time, embedded systems.

PReP was, for all intents, a PC clone with a PowerPC CPU. [[Apple Computer|Apple]], in particular, found the requirement for PC-centric I/O, like a [[Centronics printer port]], particularly odious, and never really followed the standard. As it appeared no one was particularly happy with PReP, a new effort known as [[Common Hardware Reference Platform|CHRP]] was started. Key to CHRP was the use of [[Open Firmware]], which gave vendors greatly improved support during the boot process, allowing the hardware to be far more varied.

Power.org has a new [[Power Architecture Platform Reference]] (PAPR) that provides the foundation for development of [[Power ArchitectureISA]]-based computers based onrunning the [[Linux]] operating system. The PAPR specwas wasreleased in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Finding current, readily available operating systems for old PReP hardware can be difficult. [[Debian]] and [[NetBSD]] still maintain their respective ports to this architecture, although developer and user activity is extremely low.

==See also==

Power.org has a new [[Power Architecture Platform Reference]] (PAPR) that provides the foundation for development of [[Power Architecture]] computers based on the [[Linux]] operating system. The PAPR spec was in the fourth quarter of 2006.

* [[PowerOpen Environment]]

* [[IBM ThinkPad Power Series]]

== References ==

[[Category:Power Architecture]]

{{Reflist}}

[[pl:PowerPC Reference Platform]]

[[it:PowerPC Reference Platform]]

== External links ==

* [https://public.dhe.ibm.com/rs6000/technology/spec/ PReP Specification Version 1.1 and related documents]

* [https://public.dhe.ibm.com/rs6000/technology/spec/jointhrp.ps The PowerPC (TM) Hardware Reference Platform], an overview of [[Common Hardware Reference Platform|CHRP]]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120201132638/http://www.rtems.com/wiki/index.php/Qemuprep QEMU PReP emulation for RTEMS operating system]

[[Category:PowerPowerPC Architecturemainboards]]

[[Category:IBM computer hardware]]