Apple Workgroup Server 95
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| Apple's drawing of the Workgroup Server 95 PDS card going into the Quadra 950 logic board (Service Source, PDF p. 80) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Tower file server |
| Released | 22 March 1993 |
| Discontinued | 17 April 1995 |
| CPU | Motorola 68040 at 33 MHz |
| Memory | 16, 32 or 48 MB parity RAM standard, expandable to 256 MB (sixteen 30-pin 9-bit SIMM sockets, 80 ns) |
| Storage | 230 MB to 2 GB SCSI hard disk, two-drive or five-drive configuration; optional DDS-DC 4 mm tape |
| Display | Built-in video, 1 MB VRAM expandable to 2 MB |
| Sound | — |
| ROM | 1 MB |
| Media | 1.4 MB SuperDrive |
| Expansion | Five NuBus slots; PDS occupied by the Workgroup Server PDS card |
| Power | 100–240 V AC, 303 W maximum |
| Dimensions | 18.6 × 8.9 × 20.6 in |
| Weight | 36 lb 12 oz (16.7 kg) without hard disk |
| OS / Firmware | A/UX 3.0.1 |
The Apple Workgroup Server 95 (AWS 95) is a Macintosh Quadra 950 sold as a file and database server with A/UX 3.0.1, Apple's version of Unix. Apple announced it with the Workgroup Server 60 and 80 on 22 March 1993 and stopped selling it on 17 April 1995.[1][2] The hardware that makes it a server is the Workgroup Server PDS card in the processor-direct slot, which adds SCSI buses and a cache; Apple's service manual covers the AWS 95 with the Quadra 900 and 950.[3] Low End Mac says the card is the only difference from a Quadra 950 and has to be removed to use the machine as an ordinary Macintosh.[4]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | Motorola 68040 at 33 MHz, with PMMU, FPU and 8 KB cache |
| RAM | 16, 32 or 48 MB parity RAM standard, expandable to 256 MB with 80 ns or faster 9-bit SIMMs |
| ROM | 1 MB, two 150 ns 256K × 16 chips |
| VRAM | 1 MB, expandable to 2 MB with four 256K or two 512K VRAM SIMMs |
| Hard disk | 230, 500, 1000 or 2000 MB; two-drive or five-drive configuration |
| Tape | 2 GB DDS-DC 4 mm drive, optional |
| SCSI | With the PDS card: two internal 50-pin and two external DB-25 ports on four buses, a theoretical 20 devices; the Mac OS supports seven |
| Expansion | Five NuBus slots; one 68040 PDS (140-pin), used by the server card |
| Ports | Two serial (mini DIN-8), ADB, Ethernet (printed "AUI-15"), sound in and out, DB-15 video |
| Power | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, 303 W maximum not including the monitor |
| Environment | 10–40 °C operating |
Apple prints the height as "16.8 in. (473 mm)"; 473 mm is 18.6 in, the figure on Apple's own specification page.[3][1]
Memory
[edit | edit source]The logic board has no soldered DRAM; sixteen 30-pin SIMM sockets take 80 ns SIMMs to 256 MB, and a bank must hold four SIMMs of the same size or be left empty.[1][5] Apple shipped the AWS 95 with 9-bit parity SIMMs. Standard non-parity SIMMs work, but parity checking is turned off while any are fitted. Do not fit composite SIMMs.[5] VRAM is 1 MB on the board, with four VRAM SIMM sockets; the AWS 95 uses only 256K of each 512K VRAM SIMM.[5][1]
The Workgroup Server PDS card
[edit | edit source]The card sits in the 68040 processor-direct slot and takes over the internal SCSI cable: Apple's upgrade procedure moves the SCSI data cable from the logic board to the 50-pin connector on top of the card.[3] Unplug the machine before removing or fitting the card; Apple warns that doing it with the power cord connected can damage the logic board or the card. Lift it out evenly by both sides, holding the rear by its metal bracket, so the connector pins do not bend, and do not force it back in.[3] Apple exchanged the card as service module 661-0794 and accepted it back with or without the bracket.[6]
The card carries its own cache on SIMMs. Apple's cache upgrade takes it from 128K to 256K (one 128K SRAM SIMM and one TAG SIMM) or to 512K (a 128K and a 256K SRAM SIMM and a TAG SIMM).[3] Wikipedia gives the card a 256K cache, which does not match Apple's 128K starting figure.[2]
Apple sold a Workgroup Server 95 upgrade kit for the Quadra 900 and 950, made up of the PDS card and A/UX 3.0.1 and Retrospect on CD-ROM.[3] The same case later took the Apple Workgroup Server 9150, and Apple sold a WS 9150 logic board kit for the Quadra 900 and 950.[3]
Hard disks and SCSI
[edit | edit source]Apple's appendix on adding internal drives gives the rules for the five-drive carrier:[7]
- The server has built-in SCSI termination. Remove the terminating resistor packs (usually three, often yellow or orange) from any drive you add.
- Fill the slots in letter order, B before C, C before D. Use slot E only when the other four are full, because of heat.
- With five 2 GB drives the maximum ambient operating temperature drops to 35 °C; four or fewer drives are rated to 40 °C.
- SCSI IDs 1, 4, 5 and 6 are always free for hard disks on the internal bus of the PDS card.
Apple recommends SCSI ID 5 for the DDS-DC tape drive and says to remove any SCSI device fitted beneath the floppy drive before installing it.[3] Low End Mac notes that under System 7.0 and 7.1 the internal and external buses of the Quadra 950 appear as one, so every device on both chains needs a unique ID.[4]
Maintenance and repair
[edit | edit source]The AWS 95 is a Quadra 950 apart from the card, so the Quadra guides apply to it in full:
- Macintosh Quadra 900 General Maintenance
- Macintosh Quadra 900 Troubleshooting
- Macintosh Quadra 900 Capacitor Replacement Guide
The clock battery is a 3.6 V lithium cell.[1] Apple's check is to measure it on the 10 V DC range and replace it below 3.2 V.[3] Neutralise any leakage with bicarbonate of soda; see Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Macintosh Quadra 900/950/ AWS 95 Service Source: Apple's service manual, including the PDS card, cache, tape drive and five-drive upgrades.
- Apple Workgroup Server 95 Tuning Server Performance and Adding Internal Hard Drives: Apple's A/UX tuning manual with the internal-drive appendix.
- Apple Memory Guide: memory rules for the AWS 95.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Apple, "Workgroup Server 95: Technical Specifications" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Introduced 3/22/1993, discontinued 4/17/1995; 68040 with 32-bit data path at 33 MHz; L2 cache optional; 5 NuBus and 1 PDS; 16 × 30-pin SIMM sockets, 8-256 MB, 80 ns, groups of 4; 303 W; battery 3.6 V lithium; form factor Quadra 900; original system software A/UX 3.0.1; ROM 1 MB.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wikipedia, "Apple Workgroup Server" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Announcement at CeBIT on 22 March 1993; customer shipments of the 95 from April 1993. Used for dates only.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Apple Computer, Macintosh Quadra 900/950/AWS 95 Service Source (117 pp., distilled 14 November 1995), hosted here as File:Quadra_900.950.ws_95.pdf (see Macintosh Quadra 900/950/ AWS 95 Service Source). PDF page numbers: Overview p. 3; Specifications pp. 5-16; Take Apart: Workgroup Server PDS Card pp. 58-60; Upgrades: AWS 95 Upgrade pp. 77-81, AWS Cache Upgrade pp. 82-84, Tape Drive Upgrade pp. 85-89, Five-Drive Upgrade pp. 90-107, WS 9150 Upgrade p. 109; Battery Verification pp. 111-112.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Low End Mac, "Quadra 950" (retrieved 2026-10-02). Paragraph on the Apple Workgroup Server 95. Secondary source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Apple Computer, Apple Memory Guide (May 2000), hosted here as File:Apple Memory Guide (May 2000).pdf (see Apple Memory Guide). WorkGroup Servers p. 3, AWS 95 (PDF p. 126).
- ↑ Apple Computer, Module Identification, PN 072-8124, June 1994, p. 4.5.1 (PDF p. 263): "Apple Workgroup Server 95 PDS Card, Apple P/N 661-0794". Hosted as File:Apple Module Identification (PN 072-8124, June 1994).pdf; see Apple Module Identification Manual (1994).
- ↑ Apple Computer, Tuning Server Performance and Adding Internal Hard Drives for the Apple Workgroup Server 95 (1994), hosted here as File:Apple Workgroup Server 95 Tuning Server Performance and Adding Internal Hard Drives.pdf (see Apple Workgroup Server 95 Tuning Server Performance and Adding Internal Hard Drives). Appendix, printed pp. 23-31 (PDF pp. 31-39).