[rescue] Problems trying to resurrect a SparcStation IPC

[Steve Sandau]

Sounds like NVRAM battery is dead. This is from www.obsolyte.com, though
I'm sure there's information on the sunhelp site, too:

If you're getting messages about a bad IDPROM, or your ethernet address
is coming up
as ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff, and the machine is refusing to boot, then your
NVRAM is
probably dead. The item is a DIP style, socketed chip with battery
backed RAM holding
parameters about your machine (and a clock). When the battery dies, it's
time to
order a replacement, and then reprogram the NVRAM with a new hardware
ethernet
address and some other parameters. Please read the NVRAM FAQ to learn
how to
resurrect your machine from the dead.

I think I remember that it's possible to solder a new battery on top of
the NVRAM chip if you do it *very*carefully*.

I'm sure someone knows more about this than I do... Right? Seems to
always be true here... ;)


> Gregory.Andy at mtvne.com wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I have a SparcStaion IPC which I have had for some time.  About 2
> years ago i rescued it from my old workplace and got it up and
> running, installed solaris 7 on it and got it running a few simple
> intranet type tasks.
> 
> I then moved house and it got put in a box and forgotten about.  I've
> now found it and made an effort to get it running but I am having
> problems.
> 
> Using a serial console I fired it up this morning, and this is the
> output.......
> 
> Starting real time clock...
> Incorrect configuration checksum;
> Clearing to default values.
> Probing Memory Bank #: 1 2 3 4 5
> Initializing Auxiliary Register
> Reset/Initialize Keyboard
> not nvramrc
> Setting up Console Parameters
> SPARCstation IPC, No keyboard.
> ROM Rev. 1.6, 36 MB memory installed, Serial #16777215.
> Ethernet address ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff, Host ID: ffffffff.
> 
> The IDPROM checksum is incorrect.
> Testing
> Testing audio chip; listen for a beep
> Synchronous Error Reg Test
> Synchronous Virtual Address Reg Test
> Asynchronous Error Reg Test
> Asynchronous Virtual Address Reg Test
> System Enable Reg Test
> FPU Test
> Memory Test
> Cache Tag Memory Test
> Cache Data Memory Test
> Probing Memory Bank #: 1 2 3 4 5
> Booting from: le(0,0,0)vmunix
> Internal loopback test --
> Did not receive expected loopback packet.
> Can't open boot device
> Available Devices:
> SCSI disk [disk-device] (sd)
> Floppy Disk [disk-device] (fd)
> SCSI tape [tape-device] (st)
> le [network-device] (le)
> 
> Type b (boot), c (continue), or n (new command mode)
> >
> 
> It looks to me like the battery that keeps the seetings alive has gone
> dead, as even if i change a setting, if i power the machine off it
> doesn't keep it (e.g. ok setenv diag-switch? false)  it will keep it
> if i do a reset though.  The other thing that concerns me is the
> ethernet MAC address and HostID setting themselves to ffffffffffff -
> is it possible to change this.
> 
> If i try to boot it using:-
> 
> ok boot sd(0,2,0)
> 
> then it hangs, and i know this is the SCSI id of the drive...
> 
> ok probe-scsi
> Target 2
>   Unit 0   Disk          IBMDORS-WA0A
> ok
> 
> If anyone could give me any pointers i would be most grateful, i
> really hope my IPC isn't dead!
> 
> Andy
> 
> Andy Gregory
> 
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-- 
Steve Sandau
ssandau at bath.tmac.com