Removing OBP/EEPROM passwords (was RE: [rescue] ID this card???)

[Loomis, Rip]

Comments inline below.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sambo at charm.net [mailto:sambo at charm.net]
> "Loomis, Rip" wrote:
> 
> 
> > There may be a simpler way to remove the OBP password...
[[SNIP]]
> (thought I'd try hot-plugging the 
> prom - that
> didn't work, apparently diag-switch? is set to true and it always goes
> to diag mode on boot. It sticks at scroll-lock on when I boot 
> without a
> prom).

Oof. Ugh.  Argh.   
 
> > Alternative method 1:
> > The options for "security-mode" are none, full, and
> > command.  
> Can I tell which mode it's in by behavior? I turn it on, get 
> the banner,
> "Initializing Memory" with the spinning pipe, then nothing. The cursor
> just sits, no ">", or "ok". If I "stop-a" while it's initializing the
> memory it drops me to a ">" prompt. If I boot from there it does the
> same thing again. If I try to go to new command mode it asks for a
> password. Continue does nothing since it hadn't booted yet.

That sounds as though you're in "command" mode...you can (should
be able to) boot from the default boot device, but you can't
get into the OBP to run commands without the OBP password.
 
> > similar system which they *can* boot...just swap the
> > hard drive from the accessible system into the one that
> > has the PROM password set.
> 
> I thought about this. I can't boot the drive from an SS2 in a Classic,
> can I?
> 
Not in my experience...it's the same problem as swapping
a disk from a U1/140 into a U1/170E motherboard...all the
device links need to be the same, and a disk from a SS2
(sun4c) won't work in a sun4m box like a classic.

> 
> 
> > If the security-mode is set to "full", though, then
> > it's time to pull chips and James L.'s procedure is
> > the gospel.
> 
> 
> Will that work if diag-switch? is set to true? Or will it always stick
> on the bad NVRAM?
>
You've found a situation I've never been in (and that I
hope I never find myself in)...and I'm not sure that box
can be salvaged from what you're seeing.

Anyone out there who can speculate a little more authoritatively
why it's just spinning on "initializing memory"?  Even
in diag mode, it should come out of that at some point...

  --Rip