[rescue] Sparcstation 2 help! Please

[David Venable]

After shorting out the nvrams, I had a major BREAKTHROUGH! The SS2 booted
all the way to the OK prompt. The memory check took about 3 minutes to run
through 64 mgs of RAM. Maybe that was because I forgot to put the video card
back in????? Anyway, I finally got the Ethernet address = ff ff ff ff and
host name =ffffffff, so the nvram is shot, (as you all surmised).

I am trying to bring a little enlightenment to my first year networking
students, we are a "Microsoft Training Partner" and I want to show them
other things.

soooooooo, given this latest update, if I replace the nvram and load a lite
weight OS on there, am I good to go?

Anybody had any luck writing the education grant with SUN?

Thanks to all!


David

-----Original Message-----
From: rescue-admin at sunhelp.org [mailto:rescue-admin at sunhelp.org]On
Behalf Of BSD Bob the old greybeard BSD freak
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 9:50 AM
To: rescue at sunhelp.org
Subject: Re: [rescue] Sparcstation 2 help! Please


> The keyboard is my pc keyboard, connected using hyperterm, no Sun keyboard
> installed. If I try and boot it with the Sun unit, it still displays on
the
> serial connection, It just acts different. Nither keyboard is providing
> input to the system.  There is no OS on the hard drive that I know of.
> Should I try a solaris 8 boot floppy?

On a lark, I wouldst trieth an OpenBSD boot floppy (sparc floppy29.fs).
I would also use kermit or gkermit in vt100 mode, no sun keyboard connected.

The is one other semi-dangerous trick you can try with the nvrams.
That is to clear it by shorting all pins to a metal object for LESS
THAN THREE SECONDS, typically I use 2.5 seconds by clock.  That will
clear the nvram, in case something strange is set in it that the prom
can't interpret correctly.  There are values it needs at about 0x17 in
the nvram that can make it go funky.  If cleared to zeros it should
come up fine.  I have had to do that a couple times.  You might could
try using only the sun keyboard and when it comes up theoretically,
leave it sit for about five minutes, then carefully type in on the
sun keyboard the L1-A to force prom monitor, and then a set-defaults
to clear the nvram to default factory values.... no misteaks allowed,
it has to be exactly right.  Then power off and do a cold boot, without
the keyboard and it may come up on the serial correctly.  I have had
to poke that 0x17 location several times on some of my older vme crates
to make it drop to a serial port console.  The actual values and locations
are in the sun3 feh handbook, and elswhere on the net, and in a mystical
sun manual of proms that is mostly unobtainium.

> One of the earler respondants sugguested that the NVRAM is only $10.00.
> Where can I order one?

I thought last time it was around 18.95, unless the prices have dropped.
Mouser should have them  MT8T02 or something like that.

> If BSD Bob is willing I might take one of those super deluxe units with
the
> replacable battery packs.

I have three folks interested in them, so far, so mebbie I could do a few.
If anyone has any DEAD MT8TO2 nvram chips, that they could pass my way,
I will do it for cost to the listfolks.  I am expecting the cost to be
just the cost of a battery holder and an inch or so of velcro, plus postage.
It takes me about 45 minutes to do one well, and a few minutes to test it
out in a chassis.

Bob

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