[SunRescue] Cheap starter suns clones on eBay...

[Ken Hansen]

Rip,

I am happy with the specification on the machine I got (will get), the reasons I went for the one I did was the recent OBP (2.19 IIRC), the 64 Meg DIMM, and what appeared to be a 1 Gig HD internal - oh, and the TurboGX will be nice too.

The CPU is hopefully one with cache (like an SM41 or SM51), but I am not counting on it.

WRT to the OBP you want to copy, I believe Mike McGuire has the capability to "clone/dupe" these types of chips, and I believe he is in the middle atlantic states. Based on recent discussions here, I think you can copy a OBP to a file, then send that file to be burned/copied/reproduced onto a new chip... That would be nice.

Thanks for the insight - I'll be looking forward to the machine when it arrives... BTW, anyone have any additional info on these units?

Thanks in advance,

Ken

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Loomis, Rip [mailto:GILBERT.R.LOOMIS at saic.com]
> Sent: Friday, March 23, 2001 4:16 PM
> To: 'rescue at sunhelp.org'
> Subject: RE: [SunRescue] Cheap starter suns clones on eBay...
> 
> 
> Actually, Ken, it's my fault that the one you bought
> cost as much as it did...I bought #3 for our
> lab (1x64MB + 2x16MB w/floppy for $51 (!)), and the
> low bidder on mine then switched over and was the one
> who drove the price up on #6 that you bought.
> 
> It would appear that the price of non-Ultra systems
> has really gone through the floor...especially for
> the clones without keyboard/mouse.  I just couldn't
> resist a SPARC 10/20-class system for $51...it's only
> got OBP 2.9, but that's fine to add to our basic
> Solaris 8 sysadmin lab.  Now to wait and see exactly
> what processor is inside the silly thing.

I found $66 to be a fine price too - it was interesting, when I bid on the unit there were about two minutes to go, and I bid $81 (I'b glad I didn't have to go that high). Then the other fellow started bidding, and he offered $55 (i won @ $56), then $60 (I won @ $61), then $65 (I won at $66) - I wonder why s/he felt the unit was only worth $65?

> Two related questions--
> 1.  We have a COMPStation 20SL here which is *actually*
>     a SPARC 10 clone...50-pin SCSI vice SCA, and no
>     13W3 on the motherboard or space for VSIMMs.  Haven't
>     taken the time to figure out whether the MBus
>     is the SPARC 10 or SPARC 20 variation, as it's
>     chugging along with a single SM51.  Anyone have
>     any idea/speculation as to whether the new boxen are
>     really SPARC 20-class?

No SCA, I presume that also means no odd HD brackets will be required, right? Or does it need SS/10 style "wheels"?
 
> 2.  The aforementioned COMPStation 20SL has an "official"
>     Tatung 2.25 OBP...which I would love to copy for
>     the new system.  (Among other things, either that
>     OBP or some other uniqueness *does* let the current
>     system use 32MB SIMMs).  Anyone in the DC/MD/VA area
>     with the capability to duplicate PROMs?  I know that
>     Mike N. is not *too* far away, but not sure about
>     PROM burners.

I hope my unit does not have that problem...

Ken