[SunRescue] Install Solaris 2.5.1 on an IPX?

[Gregory Leblanc]

David Rouse wrote:
> 
> I've come across an IPX with SunOS 4.1.4_U1 and 40 MB of RAM on it.

It will probably feel pretty slow, but should be useable.

> 
> What I'd like to do is install Solaris 2.5.1 on it, but I've had trouble
> with both booting from a cdrom and netbooting. I'm hoping that my
> problem is rescue-oriented enough to warrant posting here.
> 
> The external CD-Rom is an AppleCD 300 with a SCSI cable that steps down
> from the SCSI-I centronics to the mini SCSI-II on the IPX (at least
> that's my assumption). Anyhow, the IPX tries to boot from the cdrom but
> apparently can quite communicate correctly. I didn't write down the
> error messages, but if anyone thinks this can be fixed I'll try again
> and write everything down.

First of all, connectors are not specific to a SCSI speed.  I have an
Ultra-2 SCSI device (20 MegaBytes/sec) that uses a centronics
connector.  Sorry, just a pet peeve.  I think that apple is a Sony based
drive, and I know that in some FAQ someplace (maybe the sun cd-rom faq?)
there are notes on how to get it running.

> 
> The netbooot server I'm trying to use is a 670MP running Solaris 2.5.1
> and DNS as the name service. Both the IPX and the 670MP have each other
> in their /etc/hosts  files, the 670MP has the IPX in its /etc/ethers
> file and I've run the add_install_client script on the Solaris 2.5.1
> install CD. The machines are on the same subnet, and I've corrected the
> IPX's habit of using the wrong broadcast address.
> 
> When I halt the IPX and 'boot net' everything runs fine until after the
> IPX prints out the 'root entry:' to the console. Then I get the message
> that: 'Unable to NFS mount 192.168.0.28:/cdrom/solaris_2_5_1_sparc,
> starting shell. On exiting the shell, enter usr fs name.'
> 
> I've taken the error message literally and did a 'share' on the
> /cdrom/solaris_2_5_1_sparc directory, exited the shell and told the IPX
> to use '192.168.0.28:/cdrom/solaris_2_5_1.' But then the cursor on the
> IPX just sits there, and has sat there, for 20 minutes or more (I'm
> using a Wyse as the console for the IPX).
> 
> I've looked through the sunhelp reference links, but nothing seems
> appropriate and the install manual seems to assume that nothing will go
> wrong. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Those are pretty close to the steps that I would have tried, except that
I'm not brave enough to try netbooting anything for real.  Well, I at
least would have tried the CD-Rom a bit more.  I take it that hitting
enter on the IPX console doesn't do anything, or just moves the cursor
down a line?
	Greg