[rescue] "New" SPARCserver 20

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

Brian Hechinger wrote:


> IMAO: re-installing is something you should do every chance you get.  every


'K, so that's done. I was wrong, though. The 9G SCA drive is in the
machine currently serving as firewall/public services server. OK, new
plan. Move /home/sambo from 9G non-SCA to 18G with fresh install, put 9G
in server, move data, remove SCA drive. Hmmm. Requires at least one
reboot. (Got a way to insert/remove SCSI devices under linux without
rebooting, but I'll have to boot from new drive before removing old
one).

So not all in one night.


> i would say either bad connector on the sparc20, or hosed keyboard controller
> (serial controller actually) but the likelyhood of that is slim.  try cleaning
> the connector a little (dip one of the keyboard plugs in alcohol and plug/unplug
> it several times)


No joy. I got hopefull when I did the alcohol thing and it took keyboard
input immediately after the first "stop-a" (I typed "boot cdrom"), but
when it got to the installation prompt asking me what language I wanted,
it didn't take.

I had an idea, though. I've got an Agenda PDA
(http://www.agendacomputing.com). I'm gonna try using it as a serial
console tonight. The serial cable that it comes with is already nulled,
so all I should need is a straight-through adapter. Than you say I can
install from there?


> although if this is going to end up as a headless server, this is all a waste
> of time.


S'never a waste of time to make something work properly, or even
improperly. I've been thinking about it, and I think I'd rather have the
SS20 on my desk than the rack. Though I'll probably get better graphics
running X on my x86 linux box and doing it remotely, yes? Come to think
of it, if I'm running that at 1400xWhatever 24bpp, what will graphical
stuff pulled over from the SS20 look like? Limited to ehat the SS20
could do on it's own, or as good as the workstation?


> i rip CDs to wav with gallete (on a 32x cd-rom, nice and fast) and then convert
> them to mp3 with 8hz-mp3.  on a 150Mhz HyperSPARC CPU.  i really need a faster
> machine.  it takes AGES to convert a couple CDs. :)

I've got an AMD K6-233/128RAM dedicated to ripping and burning. It does
fine.



> remove the keyboard, put a null-modem cable on the serial port and hook it
> [...]
> the F-keys don't work from here, so for the install you'll have to do stuff
> like ESC-2 and ESC-4 instead of F2 and F4.  but the text install system is
> just as easy to use as the openwin one (never used that new crufty one, don't
> know anything about it)


So how do I boot cdrom from a serial console with no "stop" button?

What other key combinations do I need to know?

Thanks,


---sambo