Installing on Computers with ABIOS               4/27/94

File:ABIOS.fax  4/15/94

TITLE: ABIOS problems on RAM Loadable ABIOS systems

At the time of this writing the RAM loadable ABIOS systems are:
PS2s 9556/9557; 9585; Thinkpad 700/720 and the 9553.
Some of the newest PS2 9577 systems may also be RAM loadable ABIOS.

To install OS2 2.0 on these systems get or make a reference disk
specific to the system.  On the reference disk you will find the
files ABIOS.SYS and ????????.BIO (where ???????? is specific name
.BIO file for that system) and copy these files to the OS2 Install
disk and disk 1.

To install OS2 2.1 on these systems copy the ABIOS.SYS and the
????????.BIO file from the reference disk to the OS2 Install disk.
Note that if the system is a PS2 9556 or 9557 this procedure is
not necessary with OS2 2.1.

If problems continue on the system, boot from disks to a command
prompt and look on the system hard drive in the root directory and
the \OS2 for any copy of ABIOS.SYS that may exist and delete it.


CID and RAM Loadable ABIOS systems.

When installing OS2 v2.1 on a PS2 9556/9557, the BASEDEV
statement IBM2M57.ADD handles the ABIOS problem. This statement
should be in the CONFIG.SYS of the CID boot disks. You should
also have a DEVICE=\REFPART.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS.

There are several ways to get around the ABIOS problems of the
RAM loadable ABIOS machines.  First you must make or get a
reference floppy disk for the machine. On the reference disk you
should find an ABIOS.SYS file, a ABIOS.DDP file, and a *.BIO file.
The official way is to use the DDI* response file keywords. You
will find the needed files for DDI* keywords on the reference disk.
You should create a separate directory on the server to put the
ABIOS.DDP, *.BIO, and ABIOS.SYS file from the reference disk in.
Reference the redbook GG24-3780-02 page 108-109, 143-145
for information. This procedure requires that you use a custom
response file for these machines. This response file will not work
on other machines.
Also see the SAMPLE.RSP file for information about DDI* keywords.

Another way to fix ABIOS problem is to modify the ABIOS.SYS files
on the CID boot disks and the CID server disk images. Find the name
of the *.BIO file on the system reference disk and put that name at
the top of the ABIOS.SYS files on the CID boot disks and on the CID
server OS2 disk images. For OS2 2.1, the ABIOS files are on the
Install disk which is known as DISK_0 on the server. You must also
put the *.BIO file on the disk with the ABIOS file and the CID
server.  Note that when you edit the ABIOS.SYS file and add the
new .BIO filename to the list it must be in uppercase letters.
This method may cause problems when installing on some types
of machines and is not an official way to fix ABIOS problems.
12/31/99